Twenty, July 2023

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05.07.23 Twenty

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20 Artworks 20 Artists

0663 Auction Catalogue July 2023

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Auctions Private Sales Valuations webbs.co.nz

25.06.23 Studio Ceramics 11am

Webb's Studio Ceramics auction will be on view at our Mount Eden gallery from Wednesday 21 June to Saturday 24 June ahead of the live auction on Sunday 25 June at 11am.

Florence S. Fournier Specialist, Decorative Arts florence@webbs.co.nz +64 22 499 5619

33a Normanby Road Mount Eden Auckland 1024 +64 9 529 5600

NEW ZEALAND MENSWEAR LOCALLY MADE TO OFFER GREATER OPTIONS AND GET THE FIT RIGHT. TAILORED & CASUAL WEAR. WORK & TRAVEL WEAR. WEDDINGS & FORMAL ATTIRE. CUSTOM FITTING. WARDROBE PLANNING.

21 GHUZNEE STREET, WELLINGTON

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26.06.23 Fine Jewels, Watches & Luxury Accessories 6.30pm

Jess Mackenzie Manager, Luxury Accessories jess@webbs.co.nz +64 22 096 5610

Webb's Fine Jewels, Watches & Luxury Accessories auction will be on view at our Mount Eden gallery from Wednesday 21 June to Sunday 25 June ahead of the live auction on Monday 26 June at 6.30pm.

Auctions Private Sales Valuations

auckland 33a Normanby Rd Mount Eden Auckland 1024

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14.08.23 Works of Art Entries Invited

Charles Frederick Goldie One of the Old School Wiripine Ninia, A Ngati Awa Chieftainess 1913 oil on canvas 230 × 175mm est $450,000 — $650,000

Charles Ninow Director of Art charles@webbs.co.nz +64 21 053 6504 auckland 33a Normanby Rd Mount Eden Auckland 1024

We are currently seeking consignments for our August Works of Art live sale. Works of Art is our premier art auction, featuring exceptional artworks by leading artists such as Charles Frederick Goldie, Tony Fomison, Gordon Walters, and Colin McCahon.

If you have quality works by significant artists that you would be interested in bringing to market, contact us for an obligation-free appraisal.

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Entries Invited

Auctions Private Sales Valuations webbs.co.nz

Webb’s invites entries for our next Select auction which will take place on Monday 28 August. This catalogue presents strong examples of collectible works by significant artists hand-picked by our specialist team.

Tasha Jenkins Manager, Art tasha@webbs.co.nz +64 22 595 5610

Mark Hutchins-Pond Specialist, Art mark@webbs.co.nz +64 22 095 5610

auckland 33a Normanby Rd Mount Eden Auckland 1024

wellington 23 Marion St Te Aro Wellington 6011

Select

Select has become one of our most anticipated events.

If you are considering selling artwork, Select provides an excellent and innovative avenue for market presentation.

Get in touch for an obligation-free appraisal.

03.08.23 Material Culture Entries Invited

Auctions Private Sales Valuations webbs.co.nz

Leah Morris Head of Decorative Arts leah@webbs.co.nz +64 22 574 5699

We are currently seeking consignments for our upcoming Material Culture live sale. As the market for indigenous art continues to grow, Webb’s is proud to be at the forefront of these specialised auctions.

auckland 33a Normanby Rd Mount Eden Auckland 1024

We are seeking quality examples of indigenous carvings, textiles, tools, weapons, and more. Contact our specialist team for a complimentary appraisal.

Consignments close Friday 30 June.

Colophon

Head Office

Advertising & PR

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Paul Evans Managing Director paul@webbs.co.nz +64 21 866 000

Art Auckland

Charles Ninow Director of Art charles@webbs.co.nz +64 21 053 6504

Christine Kearney General Manager christine@webbs.co.nz +64 27 929 5604

Tasha Jenkins Manager, Art tasha@webbs.co.nz +64 22 595 5610

Karen Rigby Business Manager karen@webbs.co.nz +64 22 344 5610

Charles Tongue Valuations Specialist valuations@webbs.co.nz +64 22 406 5514

Claire Byrom-Jones Senior Marketing Executive claire@webbs.co.nz +64 22 029 5611

Jo Bragg Administrator, Art art@webbs.co.nz +64 9 529 5609

Olivia Woodgate Creative Director design@webbs.co.nz +64 22 323 4919

Hannah Crichton Registrar, Art registrar@webbs.co.nz +64 21 113 5001 Georgina Brett Cataloguer, Art cataloguer@webbs.co.nz +64 9 529 5609

Printer

Bluestar Edition of 1,800 Offset Printed, 90 pages 300gsm Matt Art 150gsm Matt Art Freely distributed to subscribers or available at select public art spaces and hospitality venues.

Art Wellington

Mark Hutchins-Pond Specialist, Art mark@webbs.co.nz +64 22 095 5610

33a Normanby Road Mount Eden Auckland, 1024 23 Marion Street Te Aro Wellington, 6011 webbs.co.nz

27.08.23 Collectors’ Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia

Auctions Private Sales Valuations webbs.co.nz

Mark your calendar for our forthcoming Collectors' Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia live auction. Taking place this August, the sale will showcase quality examples of classic, collectable and vintage motors – including the stunning 1969 Jaguar E-Type Series II 4.2 FHC. For information on viewing times, contact our specialist team.

Viewing Times Wednesday 23 August Thursday 24 August Friday 25 August Saturday 26 August

10am — 4pm 10am — 4pm 10am — 4pm 10am — 4pm

Auction Sunday 27 August Location Due Drop Events Centre, 770 Great South Road, Wiri, Manukau 2104 1969 Jaguar E-Type Series II 4.2 FHC est $175,000 — $200,000

Caolán McAleer Head of Collectors’ Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia caolan@webbs.co.nz +64 27 929 5603

Ian Nott Collectors’ Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia Specialist ian@webbs.co.nz +6421 610 911

2pm

Contents

Foreword 16 Programme 20 Plates 21 Terms & Conditions

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Index of Artists

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Auctions Private Sales Valuations

Peter Robinson untitled (detail) 2002 acrylic and oilstick on paper 1670 × 1250mm EST $65,000 — $85,000

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Entries are now invited for Pencil Case Painters — a curated live auction that will take place later this year.

The catalogue presents work by six highly regarded artists: Shane Cotton, Bill Hammond, Tony de Lautour, Saskia Leek, Séraphine Pick, and Peter Robinson. This group of artists is referred to as the ‘pencil case painters’. The moniker captures the doodle-like qualities of works created by this collective in the early 1990s at Ilam School of Fine Arts.

If you have works by any of these artists or other artworks you would be interested bringing to market, contact us for an obligationfree appraisal.

Tasha Jenkins Manager, Art tasha@webbs.co.nz +64 22 595 5610

Mark Hutchins-Pond Specialist, Art mark@webbs.co.nz +64 22 095 5610

auckland 33a Normanby Rd Mount Eden Auckland 1024 wellington 23 Marion St Te Aro Wellington 6011

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Foreword

Tasha Jenkins Manager, Art

Twenty is a very special catalogue that has been a labour of love for the art team. It includes works by artists who have had strong success at auction recently, and whose investment value continues to rise. The idea for the catalogue arose from a string of auction records set

by Webb’s over the last year.

Then in November we held our final Works of Art auction of 2022, which also saw fantastic results.

We reset the auction record for Milan Mrkusich. Another example was a group of four stunning Louise Henderson paintings that were included in the catalogue. All the works reached excellent prices, with the largest, Birds in Trees, setting a new price record for Henderson.

The first set came at the Bank of New Zealand Art Collection auction.

We anticipated this auction would be successful; however, the results were unprecedented. New records were set for a slew of artists, some slightly unexpected, such as Julian Dashper, A. Lois White and Robin White. While this was an incredible auction, we knew that at least some of the success was due to the provenance of the collection, so we did not yet take the results as gospel.

However, the real highlight of the November auction for me was the sale of Spring Cleaning by Adele Younghusband. We had seen success with a series of woodcut prints by this artist at the Bank of New Zealand Art Collection auction, but the rarity of this large-scale oil painting was on another level. We set an estimate of $50,000–$60,000; however, the painting realised a hammer price of $232,607, completely resetting the auction record for Younghusband’s work.

Four Louise Henderson paintings, sold at Webb's November 2022 Works of Art auction.

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Adele Younghusband, Spring Cleaning, sold at Webb's November 2022 Works of Art auction.

The success of these works confirmed a trend the team had begun noticing with the Bank of New Zealand Art Collection auction: that artists who had previously flown under the radar for a long time were finally getting recognised by the market. While artists such as Henderson, Younghusband, Mrkusich, Dashper, A. Lois White and Robin White have always been admired by artists and art historians, they had not seen such commercial success before.

Our Works of Art auction in March this year saw another new record for Teuane Tibbo, another artist who fits this category.

While there are art trends that come and go, I think that what we are seeing here feels more like a conscious effort from the market to appreciate artists whose work has been previously overlooked.

Our team wanted to celebrate these successes by creating a small curated catalogue of only 20 works. The aim was to feature artists whose investment level has risen considerably in a short period of time. We built a list of artists who fit this criteria, including a number of contemporary practitioners who have seen recent auction success, such as Liz Maw, Peter Stichbury, Richard Killeen, Andrew McLeod, Fiona Pardington and Michael Parekōwhai. While these artists are still practising, over the past few years they have become secondary-market mainstays.

The success of single-owner auctions Melting Moments and Goods and Services, which both featured works by Maw, McLeod, Killeen and Pardington, is a testament to the ongoing appeal of these artists and their work.

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It is difficult to pick favourites from only 20 works, and harder still when they are all this excellent.

As there are only 20 we wanted them to be fantastic examples of each artist. However, I do have a few personal standouts.

The first is the wondrous October

by Louise Henderson. While working at Webb’s over the past five years I have come to admire Henderson’s work more and more, and this painting is one of the finest examples I have seen. It is part of a series of 12 works by Henderson, all named after the months of the year. I remember seeing the work for the first time displayed during the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Henderson retrospective.

The incredible scale of October means the delicious colours almost engulf you when standing before it.

My final pick is the remarkable Adele Younghusband work Singing Girls. It is a favourite not only because it shows Younghusband’s adeptness at form, composition and colour, but because of the story behind how it was consigned.

It was about a week before entries closed for Twenty and we had not yet consigned a Younghusband work. We had been advertising and contacting everyone we knew who might have one for the last few months, but to no avail. As Younghusband was one of the key artists whose success inspired the idea of the sale, I was determined to feature her in the catalogue.

Singing Girls was purchased from Webb’s in 2016, and we had previously reached out to the owner but at that time they were not interested in relinquishing the work. I decided to try my luck again, Sea Region by Gretchen Albrecht is and my sheer will must have been another highlight. It encapsulates palpable because this time they everything you would want from agreed to sell the painting. It was a 1970s Albrecht stained canvas. the last work we consigned for the A small 1970s watercolour by Twenty catalogue and is truly the Albrecht was included in one cherry on top of a fantastic line-up. of the first sales I worked on at Webb’s, and I have always had a fondness for them. Sea Region was purchased from Barry Lett Galleries in 1977, and has remained in the same collection ever since. It is a privilege to bring a work like this to market.

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The Bank of New Zealand Art Collection preview evening in Webb's Wellington gallery, 2022.

Twenty will be the first live art auction held at our Te Aro gallery in Wellington. After two years in this space, it now feels like the perfect time to hold a live art auction in the capital. Our fantastic Wellington team Karen Rigby and Mark Hutchins-Pond have built a very strong community and we know that our astute Wellington collectors will appreciate this specially curated selection. Before travelling down for the auction, the works will be on view at our Auckland gallery from Tuesday 20 until Saturday 24 June. They will then be on view in Wellington from Wednesday 24 June up until the auction, which will take place on Wednesday 5 July at 6.30pm.

I hope these stories have given some insight into how the Twenty catalogue came to be, and what it means for our team at this moment in time. As always, it was an absolute pleasure putting together the following pages for you.

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Programme

Auckland Launch Event Tuesday 20 June

6pm — 8pm

Viewing Times Wednesday 21 June

10am — 5pm

Thursday 22 June

10am — 5pm

Friday 23 June

10am — 5pm

Saturday 24 June

10am — 4pm Wellington

Launch Event Wednesday 28 June

6pm — 8pm

Viewing Times Thursday 29 June

10am — 5pm

Friday 30 June

10am — 5pm

Saturday 1 July

11am — 3pm

Monday 3 July

10am — 5pm

Tuesday 4 July

10am — 5pm

Wednesday 5 July

10am — 5pm

Auction Wednesday 5 July

6.30pm

Plates

20 Lots

Auckland Enquiries

Wellington Enquiries

Condition Reports

Charles Ninow Director of Art charles@webbs.co.nz +64 21 053 6504

Mark Hutchins-Pond Specialist, Art mark@webbs.co.nz +64 4 22 095 5610

Hannah Crichton Registrar, Art registrar@webbs.co.nz +64 21 113 5001

Tasha Jenkins Manager, Art tasha@webbs.co.nz +64 22 595 5610

Karen Rigby Business Manager karen@webbs.co.nz +64 22 344 5610

Georgina Brett Cataloguer, Art cataloguer@webbs.co.nz +64 9 529 5609

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1 Fiona Pardington Te Huia Kai-Manawa c2008 silver gelatin print 555 × 425mm EST $20,000 — $30,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland.

“Fiona Pardington examines the transference between seen and unseen worlds. The artist casts her investigation amongst the mercurial shadows thrown by museums as imperfect yet infinitely precious archives of cultural memory.”1 Rhana Devenport, “Foreword,” Fiona Pardington: The Pressure of Sunlight Falling, ed. Kriselle Baker and Elizabeth Rankin (Dunedin: Otago University Press in association with the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Two Rooms Gallery, 2011), 6.

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Fiona Pardington

Dr Fiona Pardington (Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, Clan Cameron of Erracht) is one of Aotearoa’s most distinguished photographers, recognised and regarded by national and international audiences alike. An alumnas of Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts, Pardington has a practice that is identifiable by the velvety cadences she renders, and her interest in using photographs as a means to remember the past.

Drawing on museum objects and native wildlife, as well as her own whakapapa, Pardington explores the history of Aotearoa, particularly the country’s colonial relationship with Europe. With her highly staged, controlled arrangements, Pardington evokes still life. Her use of symbolism and melancholic themes aligns with the seventeenth-century European vanitas tradition, wherein the transience of life is emphasised.

Pardington handles her subject matter with reverence and pathos, drawing attention to the forgotten, pairing memory with mourning, and beauty with demise.

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Te Huia Kai-Manawa

Te Huia Kai-Manawa is a marvellous example of Pardington’s practice. The silvergelatin photograph, with its stark black-and-white palette, is an austere, poignant image. Nestled on dark, velvety cloth, the single huia tail-feather stands upright.

As the eye traces the artwork, the iridescent ink-dark pigment of the huia feather transforms to an ethereal ivory at the tip.

Within te ao Māori, the huia feather is a revered item that symbolises mana, nobility and wisdom, and was often worn around the neck or in the hair of rangatira. Pardington’s reference to the now-extinct huia emphasises the impact colonialism had on Aotearoa’s natural environment, and the cost the introduction of predators and humans had on endemic species.

The contrast of the huia feather against the abyss of dark velvet evokes the sense that the feather – like the huia it came from – is being consumed by the void of history and memory. When the focused quality of the light is paired with the velvet backdrop, the photograph becomes reminiscent of a museum display. This, it seems, is telling of the status of the huia; the endemic species is lost to the annals of history. Within Te Huia Kai-Manawa, Pardington masterfully memorialises the distinctive feather, intimately conveys the significance to Māori culture, and empathetically bridges the past and present.

In this work, and in her wider lexicon, Pardington acknowledges what has been lost, while addressing what needs to be conserved in current times.

Pardington presents objects for contemporary audiences, seeming to summon the hau of the subject matter. This artwork is a celebration and a mourning, a rejuvenation of traditional art forms, and an example of Pardington’s photographic ability for conceptual elegance and technical skill. Te Huia KaiManawa is a reclaiming of heritage, breathing life into the forgotten, situating the past in the present.

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Richard Killeen

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Richard Killeen Three Flyers 2008 powdercoated aluminium, 10/10 signed Killeen, dated 2008 and inscribed 10/10 in ink verso 1300 × 490mm EST $20,000 — $30,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland.

Acquired from Ivan Anthony, Auckland, 2009.

EXHIBITIONS Richard Killeen, The Presence of Objects, Ivan Anthony, Auckland, 2010; Richard Killeen Cutouts 1981–2008, Ivan Anthony, Auckland, 2009.

Three Flyers

Richard Killeen is a prominent New Zealand artist known for his cut-out works that blur the boundaries between painting and sculpture.

Born in 1946 in Auckland, Killeen studied at Elam School of Fine Arts in the 1960s. Having initially worked in figurative painting, from the late 1970s he began creating his now well-known cut-outs.

These were first exhibited at Peter McLeavey Gallery in Wellington in 1978, and they caused a sensation. Instead of being contained within a conventional picture frame, Killeen’s forms and shapes were made out of pressed and painted aluminium. Silhouettes of World War II fighter aircraft were hung alongside indigenous flora and fauna – the effect was like a giant specimen drawer from a museum display mounted on a wall.

These works are among the strongest examples of early post-modernism to arise in New Zealand.

Killeen’s Three Flyers was produced in the 2000s, when he returned to the cut-out format that had proved so successful in the 1970s and 80s. The three cut-out elements share the theme of flight. The first of the three ‘flyers’ presents the viewer with the silhouette of a fighter aircraft, most likely a Japanese WWIIera Zero fighter. The second cut-out is a moth in bright red, and the third is the silhouette of a bird, possibly a native New Zealand tūī.

The relationship and contrast between these symbols of flight encourages the viewer to explore their own associations.

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Robin White

Houses and Hills, Porirua

The art of Dame Robin White (Ngāti Awa) is embedded in the national visual lexicon to such an extent that it is hard to imagine it hasn’t always been there. With their distinctively stylised presentations of rolling hills and rustic architecture, her artworks seem woven into our national identity on a primary level. Given this, it is important to keep in mind that White was a pioneering artist. She was integral to the development of the regionalist sensibilities of modern New Zealand art.

In 1967 White graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland where she was taught

by Colin McCahon, whom she cites as an important early influence. In order to earn a living, she then undertook further study at the Auckland Teachers’ Training College. Porirua’s Mana College was the first school where White taught after graduating as a teacher in 1968. Her three-year tenure there was a formative period in her career that saw her construct images that relied more on their own internal logic than on a desire to recreate a particular vantage.

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3 Robin White Houses and Hills, Porirua c1970s graphite on paper signed R. White, dated '70 and inscribed Houses and Hills, Porirua in graphite verso 375 × 340mm EST $10,000 — $16,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Wellington.

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White's quintessentially stylised drawing Houses and Hills, Porirua is a fine example of her ability to render fundamental form and structure with great economy. Here she has rendered a housing development nestled amongst Porirua’s rippling hills. Porirua was originally planned as a satellite city of Wellington in the 1940s, which was to consist mainly of state housing.

However, industrial development in the region led to an accelerated growth in population. The houses in White’s image are architecturally simple and plain, suggesting they were built in a hurry to accommodate urgent need.

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This work reveals the foundations of White’s new image-making strategies, which positioned her, along with Don Binney, at the forefront of a second wave of New Zealand modern painting that emerged in the 1970s and sought to update the themes propagated by New Zealand regionalist painting in the 1930s.

Neil Talbot, “Robin White – The Land Beneath Her Feet,” essay for City Gallery Wellington, 2011.

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Robin White once stated, “What I paint depends on where I am.”1 This statement, in an article that she wrote for an early issue of Art New Zealand, is perhaps the most conclusive and wellrounded summation of her practice to ever be published. While her artworks function as a distilled commentary about New Zealand’s civic and social climate at the time in which they were made, the focus of her practice has always been centred in her immediate environment: the places and people that she understood best. White’s landscape works of the 1970s often conform to a set of conventions she developed. Generally, these works present hinterland nestled between the foreshore and mountainous terrain. These images carry with them an implicit criticism of modern New Zealand’s taming of the landscape through ongoing urban sprawl.

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4 Julian Dashper Halley's Comet at Silverdale 1985 oil on canvas signed JULIAN DASHPER, dated 1985 and inscribed HALLEY'S COMET AT SILVERDALE in graphite verso 365 × 745mm EST $8,000 — $12,000 PROVENANCE Dashper Family Collection, Warkworth; Gifted by the artist, 1986.

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Julian Dashper was a vanguard artist of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s who, along with others such as Billy Apple, caught the attention of a discerning international art world with a voracious appetite for undiscovered talent; curators and art dealers in search of the next new wave of contemporary avant-garde. Even so, like many of our luminaries who earn international acclaim, he is yet to have his deserved significance acknowledged nationally. That being said, Dashper’s reputation amongst New Zealand's art community is legendary.

Robert Leonard, art writer and curator, stated in an article he wrote for Art and Australia (2009) that Dashper “made New Zealand art history seem rich and pertinent, but also available for revision and mistreatment. Offering himself as an unfolding case study of a provincial artist wanting to make his mark locally and offshore, Dashper was one of a kind.”1

Robert Leonard, “Julian Dashper 1960–2009,” Art and Australia 47, no. 2, Summer 2009, https://robertleonard.org/ julian-dashper-1960-2009/

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Dashper was one of a kind — he was a multidisciplinary artist with a razor-sharp wit. To use music as a metaphor, the artist was not just a one-man band — he not only played every instrument but he invented his own. He was an artist who resisted definition. The case in point is Halley's Comet at Silverdale (1985), featured in this catalogue. At face value we see an abstract painting 365 x 745mm; however, what is also at play is Dashper the conceptual artist.

Though ‘conventional’ is not an adjective for describing Dashper’s work, it could be said that Halley's Comet at Silverdale is one of his more conventional works.

To return to the musician as metaphor, let us consider, for the sake of context, Halley’s Comet at Silverdale as the B-side to another, larger, work titled Cass (1986). In Dashper’s Cass we see him riff on his own work, while he also riffs on what is an iconic image (the railway settlement of Cass) within New Zealand art history: Rita Angus’s Cass (1936), one of her most known paintings. André Hemer is another artist who has referred to Angus’s Cass; his CASS (2012) speaks to ideas of distance and travel, ostensibly as do Dashper’s and Angus’s.

Julian Dashper Halley's Comet at Silverdale

So what do Halley’s comet and the Canterbury railway settlement of Cass have in common? Both subjects share themes of travel and journey, arrival and destination. Angus’s Cass is a metaphor for the solitary traveller, full of expectation to experience a world beyond the remote one they know. Conversely, Hemer’s CASS looks at how distance shifts our perspective of things.

Dashper moonlit as a taxi driver, and there are references to this in his work, in the form of titles which are related to his observations while taxi driving. Silverdale is a little north of Auckland central, not somewhere that was on his usual taxi beat, however the artist created a number of works with references to the area. The cross design that we see featured in this painting and in CASS also appears in a prior series by the artist, Blue Cross at Silverdale. These paintings are based on a backlit blue cross sign displayed on the outside of a vet clinic seen from the main road. The clinics building was in the style of architect Ian Athfield, painted white, with turrets and portholes, and Dashper remarked on how much he liked it. Halley's Comet at Silverdale is possibly a reference to a journey he made one evening driving through Silverdale, as he glanced up to see the comet hovering in the sky above.

Did Dashper have the thought, Hey comet, here we are — two travellers crossing paths? While we are both on a journey we make frequently but in its experience each time is unique; much like that song you’ve heard a thousand times (music reference again), but because of that thing called context, it never fails to have a different effect.

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5 Toss Woollaston Taratama – Snowy 1963 watercolour on paper signed Woollaston and dated 1963 in brushpoint lower right 270 × 365mm EST $6,500 — $10,500 PROVENANCE Private collection.

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Toss Woollaston

Trevlyan, Jill, Peter Mcleavey: The life and times of a New Zealand Art Dealer (Wellington: Te Papa Press, 2013), 128.

1

Ibid, 128.

2

Ibid, 78.

3

Ibid, 78.

4

Taratama – Snowy

Toss Woollaston’s role in establishing the model of the ‘working artist’ in New Zealand is not often discussed but it is important. Woollaston was the first artist to exhibit at Peter McLeavey’s eponymous gallery when it opened in 1968, showing a collection of paintings, drawings and watercolours. Over time, he became a mainstay in McLeavey’s stable. He served as a significant inspiration and a somewhat paternal figure to McLeavey.1 “‘The more I think about it,’ he wrote in 1978, ‘the more I think we have a most special relationship and I give my thanks for that.’”2 As an acclaimed painter within the landscape tradition, Woollaston was a vital source of income for the gallery.3 The relationship was equally beneficial for Woollaston, who, before McLeavey, had to arrange his own exhibitions and manage sales himself, even taking time off from his day job to oversee the exhibitions.4 37

Taratama – Snowy was made in 1963. The year is especially significant because it was then that McLeavey first encountered Woollaston’s artwork. After an extended period of travel, McLeavey had recently returned to Wellington when he came across a survey exhibition of Woollaston’s and Colin McCahon’s works at the Centre Gallery. Both artists had already amassed a substantial fan base and had frequently exhibited together, either in two-person exhibitions or as part of The Group.5 McLeavey described his first exposure to their work as an “epiphany”, saying he was “knocked over” by it.6

Being in the presence of a work like Taratama – Snowy, which dates to when McLeavey first discovered Woollaston, feels special. The painting has been immaculately preserved, with vibrant colours suggesting it may have been stored out of the light for much of its existence. Standing before the brushstrokes, still as vivid as when they were first applied, is a journey back in time. Despite working in the landscape tradition, Woollaston’s approach was revolutionary in 1960s New Zealand, using the landscape as a foundation for his compositions that balanced between abstract colour fields and figuration. His paintings were as progressive as the postwar artworks being produced in America during the same period.

This painting features Tara Tama, a peak located on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island.

In 1949, following World War II, Woollaston moved to the nearby town of Greymouth. This location subsequently became a recurring theme in his work. During his time there, he supported himself and his family by working as a salesman for Rawleigh’s healthcare products.

Woollaston's fresh surroundings offered inspiration and ushered in a new era in his practice.

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The Group was an informal art association based in Christchurch, New Zealand, active between 1927 and 1977. Notable members included Rita Angus, Colin McCahon, Toss Woollaston, Doris Lusk and Leo Bensemann.

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Trevelyan, 43.

6

Gerald Barnett, Toss Woollaston: An Illustrated Biography (Auckland: Random Century, 1991), 59.

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“The bush landscape mops up pure colours almost without any white – it’s like a loud deeptoned bell, you strike it and there are endless vibrations without a sharp – but that is the poetry of it, don’t imagine my painting is like that, it’s awful. When I settle down from the excitement of the new occupation, I’ll be better able to grapple with painting here. I like Greymouth more and more.”7 39

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Teuane Tibbo The Village 1973 oil on canvasboard signed Teuane Tibbo and dated 1973 in brushpoint lower right 495 × 559mm EST $15,000 — $25,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland.

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Teuane Tibbo

Sāmoan-born artist Teuane Tibbo only began painting as a seventyone-year-old. Tibbo was never formally trained, but her work demonstrates an innate talent.

Within her practice, Tibbo drew on memories of her life in Sāmoa.

The results are a body of work that is bright, raw and vivid, with scenes that are distinctive for their rendering of daily life in twentiethcentury Sāmoa, such as fishing, religion and picnics. Hallmarks of Tibbo’s paintings include skewed perspective, uniform compositions, and bright palettes that create a smorgasbord for the eyes.

The early years of Tibbo’s life are shrouded in mystery. From her work, it is clear that her childhood was a poignant time, as her early memories and experiences influenced her delightful artworks.

We do know that Tibbo was born shortly after the First Sāmoan Civil War, and in 1926 she moved to Fiji with her husband. In 1945 Tibbo and her husband settled in Tāmaki Makaurau with their children.

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The Village

Tibbo started painting in the 1960s.

She swiftly established herself as a prominent figure in the Auckland art scene, with the iconic Barry Lett acting as her art dealer and representative. Tibbo’s artwork has been acquired by several public institutions, such as Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the Hocken Collections and the National Gallery of Australia. Following her death, Tibbo’s work has been included in numerous surveys of Pacific art.

The Village is a charming example of Tibbo’s practice. Within the artwork, we see the rich, verdant vegetation of Sāmoa. The dabs of hibiscus red and pops of citrus yellow add variety to the evergreen scene, with the proud palm trees grounding the landscape in the Pacific. The high, domed, earthtoned structures rendered in The Village appear to be fale, which surround a courtyard. The resilient sugarcane roofs of the fale, which are supported by tall posts, are ideal for weathering the tropical rain and humidity, while the courtyard would have been a dynamic space for community gatherings.

Little figures, clad in white, are scattered throughout the scene. In small groups, they weave between the posts of the fale, or walk beneath the tropical canopy of trees. Sāmoa has a strong Christian faith, and most Sāmoans attend a Sunday morning church service, which is followed by a traditional family lunch known as to‘ana‘i. Tibbo’s rendering of a table laden with food, and the fact that the figures are clad in white, attest to the artwork depicting a traditional meal following a church service. The artwork is woven through with community threads; the title, The Village, centres the work as a visual representation and homage to Tibbo’s Sāmoan roots and her lived experience growing up on the island.

This painting is a joy to examine. Tibbo’s brushwork is raw and vivid, capturing the bold, bright setting of Sāmoa. The play on perspective, when paired with the artist’s wonderful splotchy paint style, forms an artwork that invites the viewer to continuously examine and explore the painting. The Village is an artwork that alludes to sensory experiences, such as birdsong overhead, grass beneath one’s feet, and the joy of sharing a meal with friends and family. There is a soft intimacy to this piece, for it is a glimpse of Tibbo’s early life, the community she came from, and ultimately what formed the foundation of her practice.

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7 Jacqueline Fahey untitled 1993 oil on canvas signed Fahey and dated '93 in brushpoint lower left 1390 x 535mm EST $28,000 — $38,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Kapiti Coast.

Passed by bequest, 2023; Private collection, Wellington.

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Jacqueline Fahey

untitled

Jacqueline Fahey’s vibrant compositions challenge the status quo of painting in Aotearoa. Her unique approach has stood the test of time and makes her one of New Zealand’s most important living artists.

Fahey was born in Timaru in 1929.

She went to boarding school as a child before studying at Canterbury University College School of Art, where she was taught by the likes of Russell Clark and Bill Sutton. While studying she met artists Rita Angus, Doris Lusk and Juliet Peter. Though Fahey’s style is very different from these three artists, she was influenced by the serious professionalism with which they undertook their work. In 1964, Fahey and Angus organised an exhibition at the Centre Gallery in Wellington that purposely included an equal number of male and female artists. This was “Biography: Jacqueline Fahey – Painter/Writer,” The Arts one of the first exhibitions in Aotearoa Foundation, https://web.archive. org/web/20150126163719/https:// to take an intentionally genderwww.thearts.co.nz/artist_page. php%26aid%3D145%26type%3Dbio balanced curatorial approach.1

1

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Felicity Milburn, “Scene Stealer,” B., 12 August 2013, https://christchurchartgallery. org.nz/blog/behind-thescenes/2013/08/scene-stealer

2

Fahey’s work champions the importance of representing women and their experiences in art.

The artist has spoken of the strong female role models she had in her life, such as her mother and grandmother.

It is perhaps this upbringing that has influenced her honest depictions of women’s lives, including showing the home, family life, relationships and more. Fahey says, “Art should come from what an artist knows about life, and if what a woman knows is not what a man knows, then her art is going to have to be different.”2 By presenting the private realities of New Zealand women through painting, she challenged previous archetypes of female experiences and what was ‘appropriate’ to depict in art. She was one of the first painters in New Zealand to paint from this perspective, and her work has been closely associated with the women’s and feminist movements of the 1970s and 80s.

Fahey’s work shows the details and disorder of domestic life, but, by playing with perspective and space within the composition, she is also able to disrupt what seems ordinary. Her rich use of colour and pattern, and selection

46

of objects encourage new ways of looking at work. While colour and composition are obviously important in her work, Fahey’s paintings are never abstract. She is steadfast in her commitment to depicting her life and the lives of others. Her images are outspoken, sometimes including actual speech bubbles, and appear at times to be influenced by collage and comic books.

The painting featured here from 1993 is a fascinating example showing Fahey’s typical flattened imagery.

We see the artist depicted in the lower right corner, lit strongly, and wearing her signature red lipstick and a large blue sunhat. She is facing away from the figure in the centre, whom we assume to be Fahey’s daughter lazing near what looks like a 1980s Volvo.

This central figure appears unconcerned with her

mother in the foreground, content with the sand she is lying on. The rocky beach scene extends to the upper edge of the canvas and is painted in browns and blues, with a flock of small birds in the background. The shape of this painting is part of what makes it interesting — Fahey appears to have compressed all the items she wanted to show into a very narrow vertical format.

By combining vibrant colours with unexpected compositions, Fahey’s work continues to keep us guessing.

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8 Liz Maw Miss Egypt 2009 and Tom Araya 2010 oil on board signed LIZ MAW, dated '10 and inscribed Miss Egypt 2009 and Tom Araya in brushpoint verso 175 × 290mm EST $15,000 — $20,000 PROVENANCE Private collection.

Acquired from Peter McLeavey Gallery, Wellington, 2010.

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Liz Maw

Miss Egypt 2009 and Tom Araya

Tāmaki Makaurau based artist Liz Maw’s paintings are rare, and always feel very intentional. The labour that her work requires is evident in each seamless and glimmering outcome. Each work is painted in a highly detailed and hyperrealistic style, highlighting the possibilities of oil paint in a digital age and confirming that painting is not dead.

Raised Catholic, Maw often draws on this upbringing and references religious icons and symbols in her work, which is stylistically influenced by European Old Masters, and is often ornately framed in a similarly grand style. Maw then subverts these references by reframing them in a twenty-first-century context, drawing connections between historical icon painting and icons of popular culture today. Her work both celebrates and interrogates the distinctions between high and low art and culture.

Miss Egypt 2009 and Tom Araya is a two-panel oil painting of two figures of twenty-first-century pop culture.

Tom Araya, vocalist and bassist in American band Slayer, is shown on the right side, as a glowing rock star with guitar in hand. On the left, we see a portrait of Elham Wagdi, winner of the 2009 Miss Egypt pageant, in all her glory. She is dressed in a glamourous gown and headpiece, and holds up what appear to be shiny golden wings, adding a further element of fantasy.

It is unclear exactly why Maw chose to bring the two figures together — perhaps there is a deeper connection that has been kept hidden from the viewer. Or perhaps it is simply that a thrash-metal rock star and a glittering pageant queen are indeed the twenty-firstcentury version of religious icons.

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50

9 Peter Stichbury Grace BubulkaHatmaker, NDE 2018 oil on linen signed P. Stichbury, dated 2018 and inscribed 'Grace Bubulka-Hatmaker, NDE' in ink verso 600 × 500mm EST $50,000 — $70,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland.

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Peter Stichbury

Awarded the prestigious Wallace Art Award in 1997, the same year as his graduation from Elam School of Fine Arts, Peter Stichbury is one of Aotearoa’s most notable figures in contemporary painting. A Stichbury painting is instantly recognisable – often a portrait of a lone figure rendered close-up, with large, wide-set eyes and a languid expression.

With subtle inflections of the supernatural and careful rendering of his subjects, Stichbury’s figures are as polymorphous as they are iconic to the painter’s signature style. His 2018 painting Grace BubulkaHatmaker, NDE is no exception. The work refers to medical professional Grace Bubulka-Hatmaker who experienced a near death experience over a decade ago. Although declared clinically deceased, Grace Bubulka-Hatmaker made a full recovery.

In recent years, Stichbury has presented works that depict subjects who have purportedly survived near death experiences (NDE’s). Within this series, Stichbury brings together psychology, religion, and spirituality to examine the idea of consciousness after death.

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Grace Bubulka-Hatmaker, NDE

The subject of the painting is rendered in the classic head-and-shoulders frontal pose, one that is preferred by Stichbury and is an iconic feature of his work. It is a striking image; the depicted Grace BubulkaHatmaker's stare is poignant, piercing and prophetic. We, as the viewer, cannot help but wonder what has been witnessed.

Here we see a waifish figure staring out beyond the frame, past the viewer. As is the case with Stichbury's work, this character, while expressionless, creates an atmosphere that only a Stichbury painting can. Grace Bubulka-Hatmaker, NDE is instantly recognisable as a Stichbury work, and ties into the wider NDE lexicon of the artist’s practice.

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10 Michael Parekōwhai Fish Alley 2001 c-type print, 8/8 1500 × 1200mm EST $25,000 — $35,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Wellington.

EXHIBITIONS Another from this edition exhibited in This is New Zealand, City Gallery Wellington, Wellington, 2018; Michael Parekōwhai: The Promised Land, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Brisbane, 2015; The Consolation of Philosophy: piko nei te matenga, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth, 2004; 14th Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, 2004; Nine Lives: The 2003 Chartwell Show, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland, 2003.

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Michael Parekōwhai

Fish Alley

Michael Parekōwhai's (Ngā Ariki Kaiputahi, Ngāti Whakarongo) Fish Alley is a captivating and enigmatic photograph that showcases the artist's unique vision and masterful use of color and composition. Created in 2001 as part of a limited-edition series, this C-type photograph captures a simple yet intriguing subject: a vase filled with a beautiful arrangement of flowers.

Parekōwhai's Fish Alley engages with a time-honoured art historical tradition — the floral still life. With origins in the Middle Ages and Ancient Greco-Roman art, still-life painting emerged as a distinct genre and professional specialisation in Western painting by the late 16th century. The floral still life has been reinterpreted throughout the course of art history, and today it is a mainstay of ‘safe’ art and serves as a marker of an anticonceptual image. The photograph's title, Fish Alley, adds to its sense of intrigue and mystery. It invites the viewer to question the connection between the floral arrangement and the title, suggesting that there might be a deeper narrative or symbolic meaning at play.

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Fish Alley is a part of Parekōwhai's Consolation of Philosophy: piko nei te matenga series, in which the title of each photograph holds a special significance as it is connected to a place where the Māori Battalion fought in World War I. This historical reference contrasts with the beauty and tranquility of the floral arrangement and prompts the viewer to consider the historical relationship between Māori and Pākehā, as well as the impact that it has had on modern Aotearoa. Throughout his career, Parekōwhai has explored themes of identity, culture, and memory. Although Fish Alley may appear as a departure in style, it captures the essence of his oeuvre.

Michael Parekōwhai, The Consolation of Philosophy: piko nei te matenga, installation view, Govett Brewster, 2004.

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11 Gretchen Albrecht Sea Region 1976 acrylic on canvas signed Albrecht and dated '76 in brushpoint verso 1500 × 1870mm EST $80,000 — $140,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland.

Aquired from Barry Lett Galleries, Auckland, 1977.

EXHIBITIONS Gretchen Albrecht, Barry Lett Galleries, Auckland, 1977.

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Gretchen Albrecht

Sea Region

“For Gretchen Albrecht the sea’s locale has always been one of the most important vehicles for her study of light’s action. The sea’s light became an enlarged cosmological phenomenon and expanded her knowledge of the coast’s brightness, the wind’s illumination, the earth’s luminosity and the glow of memory.”1 Ron Brownson, Gretchen Albrecht: Illuminations (Auckland: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, 2002), 18.

1

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Gretchen Albrecht’s distinctive stained canvases have become embedded in New Zealand art history. With their subtle gradations and immersive sweeps of colour, these works are strikingly different to the hard-edged painting of some of her abstractionist contemporaries, such as Geoff Thornley and Stephen Bambury.

This work was painted in 1976 and exhibited the following year at Barry Lett Galleries. When first viewed, the stained canvas works appear to eschew recognisable forms for pure abstraction.

However, Albrecht’s abstraction was always firmly rooted in her beloved landscape of the Auckland coastal regions — as evidenced by the title here.

In the 1970s, Albrecht moved firmly into abstract painting from an early practice that engaged in gestural figurative painting and still lifes. These new works were created using a speed brush, which allowed her to charge the brush with a large amount of diluted paint and physically stain the unprimed canvas. This unique shift in approach brought critical acclaim. According to art historian Luke Smyth, “The arrival of the early stained canvases marked a watershed moment in Albrecht’s career... Her debut presentation of the stained canvases earned her widespread acclaim, with critics declaring her new paintings her most accomplished works to date.”2

Sea Region showcases the alluring colours and masterful blends that the artist is particularly known for.

The painting is largely comprised of a plane of graduated blue tones with a striking swathe of pink at the bottom of the picture plane and bands of white and purple at the top. The large scale invites the viewer to become almost enveloped by these saturated colours. As with all the stained canvas works, the painting never feels overproduced or forced — the luscious tones are effortless, seeming as though they have bloomed onto the canvas of their own accord.

Luke Smyth, Gretchen Albrecht: Between Gesture and Geometry (Auckland: Massey University Press, 2019). 57.

2

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12

Louise Henderson October 1987 oil on canvas 2470 × 1500mm EST $100,000 — $150,000 PROVENANCE Robert Bates Collection, housed in the Kauri Grove Collection, Auckland.

Aquired privately, c1994.

NOTE From The Twelve Months series.

EXHIBITIONS Louise Henderson: From Life, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland, 2019-2020, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Christchurch, 2020; Months of The Year, Charlotte H Galleries, Auckland, May–June 1987.

LITERATURE Felicity Milburn, Lara Strongman and Julia Waite (editors), Louise Henderson From Life (Auckland and Christchurch: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, 2019), 189, 151.

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Louise Henderson

October

It was in 1987, at the age of 85, that Louise Henderson undertook one of her most ambitious series of paintings. The Twelve Months is a monumental body of work comprised of 12 large canvases, one for each month of the year. These works were exhibited in the major survey exhibition Louise Henderson: From Life, which showed at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū in 2019 and 2020. Collectively, they represent one of the most significant accomplishments of the distinguished artist’s career.

Felicity Milburn, “I Follow Unruly Nature,” in Louise Henderson: From Life, ed. Felicity Milburn, Lara Strongman and Julia Waite (Auckland and Christchurch: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, 2019), 141.

1

October by Louise Henderson on view at Charlotte H Galleries in 1987.

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In the exhibition publication for Louise Henderson: From Life, Felicity Milburn, Lead Curator of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, states, “Any painting 2.5 metres high would be an ambitious undertaking; Henderson painted an insouciant dozen of them the year she turned 85. An extraordinary and enduring achievement in the history of New Zealand painting, they demonstrate how Henderson deployed both colour and imagination to enliven the taut geometry of cubism, creating paintings that communicated a deeply felt connection with the natural and social rhythms of her adopted country.”1

October is a key work from this iconic series. Exhibited at both venues in Louise Henderson: From Life, it carries significance as a major work from the artist’s oeuvre.

Painted in rich yellows, blues and greens, October conveys a palpable sense of the promise of spring.

This painting, as well as the wider body of The Twelve Months, was Henderson’s personification of the exploration of the “abstract poetic of nature.”2 Henderson’s aptitude for vibrant colours, exploration of the natural world, and embracing of cubism is evident in October.

The tenth month of the year, and namesake of this artwork, is one that Henderson associated with the birth of her only child, Diane.

Within October, the central image resembles a pregnant woman; the curved belly dominates the canvas, while the limbs and head disappear beyond the borders of the work. A curved, yellow-gold belly is speckled with pastel globes of red, orange, pink and lilac, which Henderson described as “bubbles

of life circulating in the womb.”3 Here, Henderson’s own joy for approaching parenthood appears to fizz and bloom from the artwork.

Furthermore, October is a brilliant example of Henderson’s strong interest in blending organised cubism with the corporeal experience of nature — she injects the tight configuration of cubism with a strongly personal and poignant thread that is rooted in nature and the seasons of the body.

Rather than slip into a quiet retirement, Henderson provided us with this twelve-work series of bold, lively and energetic works.

Yes, The Twelve Months examines how the seasons of Aotearoa morph, yet Henderson drew on her own wealth of experiences when creating the series. October, a stunning artwork in terms of visual aesthetic, is testament to the lived experiences that Henderson utilised when creating the series, and is a hallmark of her ability to employ colour and design in synchronisation.

Louise Henderson, letter to Diane McKegg, c. 1981, Louise Henderson Archive, EH McCormick Research Library, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, RC 2018/4/5.

2

Milburn, “I Follow Unruly Nature,” 151.

3

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13 Pat Hanly Torso P 1978 enamel on board signed Hanly, dated '78 and inscribed Torso P in ink verso 515 × 615mm EST $70,000 — $90,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland.

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Pat Hanly

Torso P

Pat Hanly is one of New Like many of his Zealand’s finest and most contemporaries, Hanly's significant artists. Revered work was symptomatic as a painter, Hanly also of the experience of experimented with different being avant-garde in mediums. His interest in the this country at a time rudimentary employment which was culturally and of form, line and colour led politically conservative. the artist into printmaking However, counter to his and collage that he crosscontemporaries’ reflexive pollinated into his paintings. modus operandi of sombre palettes, brutalist Hanly’s work was informed expression and dark by his personal life and overtones, Hanly produced responded to issues bright and energetic work, of social, political and characterised by soft environmental urgency. rhythmic lines. Hanly’s use Hanly was very much a of colour, albeit typically humanist in his approach. joyful, is also at times While the themes in his tonally harsh, and optically work drew on personal jarring. Upon returning experience, his intention to New Zealand in 1967 was ultimately for his work from a period of living in to be universally relatable, Britain, Hanly remarked by emphasising those on how extremely harsh relational dynamics of love, he found Aotearoa's light. family and friendship.

However, while we can metaphorically deduce his use of acidic yellows 67

and fiery reds as a direct consequence of painting from his personal environment, we can also extrapolate that the tenor of his light is a symbolic expression of New Zealand’s conservatism and remoteness from the vitality of late 1950s and early 1960s modernism, which he had experienced while living abroad.

Europe left a lasting impression — he was deeply affected by European artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall. We see an expression of joy and optimism in the artist’s work, like that of Chagall and Matisse. And we recognise Picasso’s foreboding messages of warning and concern for humanity. For Hanly it was local issues, such as the French testing of nuclear weapons in the Pacific and the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, South African apartheid and the Springbok tour. Moreover, we see the influence of Picasso’s and Matisse’s recurring use of the human form — specifically the female form.

Hanly liked to paint women; so much so that in 1988 the artist exhibited a survey of his own oeuvre of the female form under the title Women by Hanly.

The exhibition was a self-reflective examination of the treatment and role of women in his own work.

It comprised artworks from eight different series he had created between the years 1959 to 1988.

However, regardless of the exhibition’s title, this was not a show about women per se; rather, the female form functioned as both a metaphorical signifier and a formal device for pictorial exploration.

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The painting featured in Throughout the history this catalogue, Torso P of art, images of women (1978), comes from a body as allegories have of work Hanly referred changed to reflect shifts to as his Torso series. In in social and cultural the artist’s own words, values. Hanly’s Torso P while these works are is allegorically a painting “emotional and painterly about human desire and responses to some all its complexities, but the memorable torsos … [they] body is also a technical are mainly reflex gesture device for the artist to paintings concurrent explore the limits of his with my intention to make medium, for sheer visual works with the freest of pleasure. For the artist, techniques resulting in a the gratification comes direct and passionate visual through the act of making; statement.” Moreover, for the viewer, gratification they are “women I have is in the encounter – known but not necessarily the act of looking at the biblically – not high head visual interplay of line, stuff more heart to heart.”1 colour and form dancing across the painting.

Women by Hanly: A Survey, exhibition catalogue, essay by curator Amanda Findlay (in conversation with the artist, May 1988).

3

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14

A. Lois White Religion and Life 1935 oil on canvas signed A. Lois White in brushpoint lower right 990 × 737mm EST $150,000 — $300,000 PROVENANCE Collection of Terry Stringer and Tim McWhannell. Acquired directly from the artist c1975.

EXHIBITIONS To Suit a Bishop, The Suter Art Gallery, Nelson, 13 July–18 August 2013; Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch, 4 April–4 June 1995; By the Waters of Babylon: The Art of A. Lois White, Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland, 9 March–8 May 1994, Auckland Society of Arts exhibition, Auckland, 1935.

LITERATURE Nicola Green, By the Waters of Babylon: The Art of A. Lois White (Auckland: Auckland City Art Gallery, 1993), 39.

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A. Lois White

Nicola Green, By the Waters of Babylon: The Art of A. Lois White (Auckland: Auckland City Art Gallery, 1993), 15.

1

2

Ibid.

Religion and Life

Religion is a recurrent motif in the work of A. Lois White. Born in 1903, the artist was brought up in a devout Methodist household in Auckland.

According to the late art historian Nicola Green, “Her religious upbringing developed a spirituality in her and a love of the literary qualities of the Bible that were constantly to inspire her and later to permeate her art.”1 While this influence fed her artmaking, it also proved to be double edged. Green states: “[White] was hampered too by being raised in the socially introverted Methodist community and by a sense of obligation to church and family, impressed upon her at an early age.”2 The influence of White’s religious upbringing is very much to the fore in her 1935 painting Religion and Life.

The work depicts a clearly religious figure, perhaps a saint, bathed in light and holding a crucifix. Other figures clustered around the saint exhibit attitudes evidently ranging from reverence to derision. The work was exhibited in the 1935 Auckland Society

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3

Ibid. Page 31.

of Arts exhibition, and later in the same year at the Otago Art Society.

It attracted positive comments from a range of publications, including the Otago Daily Times, which stated: “Religion and Life … is immensely strong in form and arrangement.

The colour is rich and eminently harmonious and rhythmic elements, such as the repetition of raised hands, heighten a dramatic effect that it is full of hidden meaning.”3 Religion and Life is a major work in White’s oeuvre. Its compositional strength and rich, allegorical subject matter position it among the artist’s finest paintings.

Left: A. Lois White, Drawing for Religion and Life, c1935, held in the collection of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

Right: Religion and Life by A. Lois White shown in the Evening Post, 8 October 1935.

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15 Adele Younghusband Singing Girls 1951 oil on canvasboard signed Adele Younghusband and dated 1951 in brushpoint lower right 445 × 370mm EST $80,000 — $160,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland.

Acquired from Important Paintings & Contemporary Art, Webb's, Auckland, 11 August 2016, lot 27.

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Adele Younghusband

Singing Girls

Adele Younghusband was an intriguing artist, known for depicting bold and empathetic imagery of working and social situations. Her artworks are recognisable for their strong design and composition.

Originally a photographer, Younghusband came to work as both a printmaker and painter. Throughout her life and career, she was a strong advocate for the arts, serving as a founding member of art societies in Whangārei and Hamilton.

In 1937, Younghusband travelled to Melbourne, Australia, where she studied with George Bell; during this period, she developed an interest in abstract and surrealist ideas. Following this, Younghusband became known as a modernist, was called “a New Zealand surrealist” by Arthur Hipwell in Art in New Zealand in 1941, and was one of the ‘progressive painters’ in the Phoenix Group in the 1950s.

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Singing Girls (1951) is a fine example of Younghusband’s mature work. To those familiar with her oeuvre, the painting echoes her stylised treatment of forms that are a hallmark of her linocuts. However, here the subject matter differs significantly; Singing Girls does not depict an industrial or domestic scene, as was common in Younghusband’s work.

Rather, the fluid, delicate forms of the women depict a choir scene, overlapping in areas to create passages of harmonious tonal composition. The women sing in synchronisation: their mouths are open midsong; each is attentive and contemplative; their eyes are lowered, as if reading song sheets.

Within the work, the women can be read as both a unified group and as independent individuals.

The rich colours and planar symmetry of the figures attest to the strong modernism of the piece.

Works such as Singing Girls, along with her stilllife studies, demonstrate Younghusband’s affinity with cubist concepts. Pastel harmonies and the organic correlation of forms, such as those within Singing Girls, were developed by Younghusband to create bold, emotive scenes that are modernist, abstract and surrealist in style.

Singing Girls is a wonderful example of Younghusband’s affinity for composition and design; this emotive, stylised piece is recognisable as her work due to these elements, as well as the bright palette.

The fluidity of the figures is a delightful touch, a nod to the atmosphere of the scene depicted.

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Olivia Spencer Bower

Spinning Triptych

“I paint for myself. That’s the only way. For when you paint to please it’s not the honest thing and inhibits the chances of discovery, because there’s no point in writing or painting unless you make your own discoveries.”1

Spencer Bower began attending classes at the Canterbury College School of Art as a 16-year-old, initially only on Wednesday afternoons, but later as a full-time student, winning scholarships annually, and graduating with a Diploma in Fine Arts at the age of 24.

Born in England, Olivia Spencer Bower initially came to reluctantly New Zealand with her family in her mid-teens but learned to call this country home and to cherish its landscape, particularly in the South Island. She was a superb watercolourist, but worked in a wide variety of mediums and was always keen to experiment, and remained open to new ideas.

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She subsequently travelled to England to study figure and portrait painting at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London in 1930. From there she made an extended painting trip to France and Italy. After her return to New Zealand in 1931 she continued to travel and to explore in her adopted country, painting at every opportunity.

In 1933 Spencer Bower began exhibiting with The Group and soon acquired a reputation as an ‘experimentalist’ and an

16 Olivia Spencer Bower Spinning Triptych c1970s acrylic on board signed Olivia Spencer Bower in brushpoint lower right; signed Olivia Spencer Bower and inscribed 'Spinning Triptych' in brushpoint verso 760 × 1485mm EST $35,000 — $65,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Christchurch.

Acquired from The Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch, c1980s.

EXHIBITIONS Olivia Spencer-Bower, The Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch, c1980s.

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exceptional watercolour painter. Spencer Bower remained a member of The Group, exhibiting with them regularly, until they disbanded in the 1970s.

and significant body of works, building on and developing the themes of relationships among women seen in her work of previous decades.

From the late 1950s on, Spencer Bower frequently visited her friend Minta Brittan, who ran a spinning bee at Mount Enys, in the Canterbury high country.

From her sketches during these visits, Spencer Bower developed her celebrated Spinners series of approximately 35 works, mostly painted in acrylic. The series evolved during the 1960s and continued into the 1970s, the period when spinning was revived as a popular craft activity and practised predominantly by women.

“An analysis of the series reveals how it constitutes an extensive examination of the relationships between women and between women and the land. Spencer Bower was unusual among women artists of her generation because she expressed an awareness of a relation between her gender and art. This is supported by the connection established between her life and painting.”2

Following her usual practice, Spencer Bower began with conventional In her thesis on Spencer descriptive renderings Bower’s figurative of her subjects before paintings, Judith Hamilton transforming her visions cites the Spinners series as into the semi-abstract. the artist’s most extensive 80

The women Spencer Bower portrays spinning are generally featureless, their anonymity expressing the private nature of women’s lives and creative activity. In the majority of the works they are shown in abstracted settings. As Hamilton points out, “the focal points of the compositions are the abstracted circular shapes of the spinning wheels and spinners themselves, ‘particularly their active hands; in combination, hands and wheels form the essential link in this activity between machine and worker and both are constantly in motion. This sense of continuous rhythmic movement is repeated throughout the series and is particularly evident in the larger figure groups.”3

Julie King, Olivia Spencer Bower: Making Her Own Discoveries (Christchurch: Canterbury University Press, 2015).

1

Judith Lois Hamilton, “Olivia Spencer Bower: The Figurative Works” (master’s thesis, University of Canterbury, 1988), https://ir.canterbury. ac.nz/handle/10092/3917

2

Isolation and introspection are evident in Spinning Triptych, where the composition, conceived as a triptych, is divided into three sections defined by vertical banks of colour. “The formal division and symbolism are perfectly integrated … The rich colour combination connects the three panels, creating an emotionally charged atmosphere … transforming the domestic scene into a fantasy world.”4

Judith Hamilton, “Olivia Spencer Bower: The Spinners Series,” Art New Zealand 50, Autumn 1989, 76–79.

3

4

Ibid.

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17 Milan Mrkusich Two Areas, Orange and Maroon 1980 acrylic on board signed Mrkusich, dated '80 and inscribed Two Areas, Orange & Maroon 1980 in brushpoint verso 1225 × 1830mm EST

$50,000 — $70,000

PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland.

Acquired from The Les and Milly Paris Collection, Art+Object, Auckland, 19 September 2012, lot 67.

EXHIBITIONS Hit Parade: Contemporary Art from the Paris Family Collection; Wellington City Art Gallery, Wellington, 1992–1993; A Decade Further On: 1974–1983, Auckland City Gallery, Auckland, 1985; Carnegie International, Museum of Art Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1982–1983; New Zealand Painting Selected for Carnegie International, Dunedin Public Gallery, Dunedin, 1982.

LITERATURE Alan Wright and Edward Hanfling, Mrkusich: The Art of Transformation (Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2009), 9.

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Milan Mrkusich

Two Areas, Orange and Maroon on view at Auckland City Art Gallery in 1985.

Milan Mrkusich held his first solo exhibition at the University of Auckland’s School of Architecture in 1949. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, he produced an impressive collection of paintings, drawing inspiration from the tenets of European modernism, like his contemporaries, such as Colin McCahon and Louise Henderson.

Initially, his images were painterly, featuring elements reminiscent of Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky.

Later, they evolved into serene compositions echoing the language of the Bauhaus movement.

inception of a series known as the Corner Paintings. Characterised by an oblong or square canvas, these paintings could reach considerable sizes, with some stretching over two metres on their longest side.

A distinguishing feature of works in this series is the triangle of flat colour nestled into each of the painting’s four corners, mimicking the way a photograph is held in an album with corner pockets.

This unique technique creates a sense of the triangles obscuring the corners, anchoring the image.

The centre of a Corner Painting frequently resembles a turbulent From the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, sky, varying between brooding Mrkusich introduced significant and dramatic, always creating changes to his work, marking the an experiential atmosphere.

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Two Areas, Orange and Maroon

Mrkusich’s subsequent works, the Two Area, Three Area and Four Area paintings, draw on the legacy of his Corner Paintings. These creations reject the convention of a frame, doing away with the elements that anchor the image. Instead, they consist of fields of resonating colour aimed at engaging the soul. These works share more similarities with the immersive installations of artists like James Turrell, who transform entire galleries with light, than with any of Mrkusich’s New Zealand contemporaries. Remarkably, Mrkusich explored the potential of painting while maintaining the standard format — a square or rectangle hung on a wall. His painting Two Areas, Orange and Maroon exemplifies this, impacting the surrounding space without transcending the rectangular boundary.

In 2023, when artworks are often produced by teams of assistants in large workshops, one could mistakenly assume that Two Areas, Orange and Maroon followed a similar creation process.

Despite its immaculate, precise execution, with not a drop of paint out of place, it is the work of a highly skilled painter at the peak of his craft. A closer look reveals a delicate, dappled surface that appears to advance, recede and shimmer.1 Mrkusich was 55 when he painted this work, and it encapsulates his vibrant energy and enthusiasm for the world. A true visionary, Mrkusich never rested on familiar techniques. He continually evolved, innovated and pushed boundaries throughout his career.

It’s appropriate to credit Hone Tuwhare with this description.

In his poem Hotere (1970), he said Ralph Hōtere’s paintings appeared to “advance, recede, shimmer and wave”.

1

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86

18

Andrew McLeod Seascape 2009 oil on linen signed McLeod in brushpoint lower right 1580 × 1580mm EST $40,000 — $60,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland; Acquired from Webb's, Important Paintings & Contemporary Art, Auckland, 31 July 2014, lot 77.

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Andrew McLeod Andrew McLeod is wellknown in Aotearoa for his distinctive and dynamic painting practice. The artist is relatively young, still in his 40s, yet he is highly accomplished. His work is widely admired and held in a broad range of public and private collections.

McLeod’s paintings often incorporate historical content. He has made use of motifs and styles specific to a wide range of artistic contexts, including New Zealand modernism, Italian Renaissance painting, and Victorian art.

From such sources, he generates unique, complex images that seem both contemporary and timeless.

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Seascape Seascape is an oil painting that showcases McLeod’s painterly expertise. The work depicts a woman at sea with her hand thrown over her eyes, dwarfed by the magnitude of the water. She is lit by a thin beam of moonlight that also highlights the rough and stormy waves around her. Dotted throughout the scene are delicate flowers that appear to be growing out of the waves themselves. This composition feels at once both considered and effortless.

The painting is rendered in a dark, sombre palette that gives it an almost melancholic tone. This contrasts with the soft pale pink and greens of the flora peeking through – heightening their peculiarity and whimsy.

McLeod is a master of creating fantastical and surreal settings in his paintings and this is no exception.

Recent years have seen increased market interest in McLeod’s paintings, which can be attributed to the undeniable quality of the work. The artist is also very much a rarity: he has produced a consistently strong body of work over a sustained period since the late 1990s, which has enjoyed a buoyant market from the outset. Yet, given his age, his most productive years seem to still lie ahead.

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19

Robert Ellis Kuaira 12 1978 oil on board signed Robert Ellis and dated 1978 in brushpoint lower left; inscribed Kuaira 12 in ink verso 890 × 910mm EST $20,000 — $30,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland.

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Robert Ellis Robert Ellis was born in England in 1929. He studied at the Northampton School of Art from 1944 to 1947, and the Royal College of Art in London from 1949 to 1953, gaining a rich depth of knowledge that was to inform his lifelong pursuit of painting. In the two years between, he completed national service with the photographic unit of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command – an experience that likely informed the aerial views evident in his later work.

Ellis migrated to New Zealand in the 1950s and took up a lecturing role at Elam School of Fine Arts.

He taught there for decades, influencing many of the significant artists that emerged from the esteemed art school. He lived in Birkenhead on Auckland’s North Shore, in close proximity to the rapidly developing motorway and harbour bridge project.

This became part of his daily experience and shaped his most distinctive painting motif – stylised impressions of the motorway.

Kuaira 12 traditional drafting and image production techniques he had learned in England, along with fresh approaches to gestural painting and scumbling.

Kuaira 12 was made in 1978. It demonstrates the core elements of Ellis’s practice, showing the combination of skill and vision that made him an artist of enduring significance.

The work features thickly layered oil paint, which gives the viewer a visceral sense of the painting. This work resonates with the motorway paintings, though subtly differs.

Ellis is a major national figure in modernist painting. His work is held in the highest esteem by private and institutional collectors alike. Kuaira 12 shows another aspect of his storied artistic oeuvre.

In his art practice, Ellis created a unique artistic language that sits somewhere between abstraction and representational painting.

It includes elements of the 91

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Terry Stringer

The Nature of Poetry

Terry Stringer graduated with Honours from Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland in 1967, and is a notable figure in the history of art in Aotearoa. His contribution was acknowledged in 2003, when he was awarded the country’s national honour, the ONZM (Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit). Working predominantly in bronze, Stringer often depicts figures in an abstract or cubist style.

Stringer’s inventive approach to his figurative compositions is unique and instantly recognisable.

His sculptures are often created to be viewed from multiple angles, and the totality of this experience is what creates meaning.

20 Terry Stringer The Nature of Poetry 1978 bronze, artist's proof signed Terry Stringer, dated 2006 and inscribed THE NATURE OF POETRY A.P with incision lower edge 515 × 140 × 125mm (widest points) EST $10,000 — $15,000 PROVENANCE Private collection.

The Nature of Poetry is a fine example of Stringer’s practice. The bronze is smooth and the finish immaculate. On one side the work shows the defined features of a figure; on another the figure’s hair becomes a rendering of a rose; and on the last are the delicate fingers of a hand. These different sides are linked by the lyrical title.

This work is testament to the artist’s skill as a sculptor; there can be no denying that to own a Stringer at any scale is to own an important piece of national and international significance.

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Terms & Conditions The terms and conditions of sale listed here contain the policies of Webb’s (Webb Fine Art). They are the terms on which Webb’s (Webb Fine Art) and the Seller contract with the Buyer. They may be amended by printed Saleroom Notices or oral announcements made before and during the sale. By bidding at auction you agree to be bound by these terms.

1.

Background to the Terms used in these Conditions The conditions that are listed below contain terms that are used regularly and may need explanation. They are as follows: “the Buyer” means the person with the highest bid accepted by the Auctioneer. “the Lot” means any item depicted within the sale for auction and in particular the item or items described against any lot number in the catalogue. “the Hammer price” means the amount of the highest bid accepted by the auctioneer in relation to a lot. “the Buyer’s Premium” means the charge payable by the Buyer to the auction house as a percentage of the hammer price. “the Reserve” means the lowest amount at which Webb’s has agreed with the Seller that the lot can be sold.

“Forgery” means an item constituting an imitation originally conceived and executed as a whole, with a fraudulent intention to deceive as to authorship, origin, age, period, culture or source, where the correct description as to such matters is not reflected by the description in the catalogue.

Accordingly, no lot shall be capable of being a forgery by reason of any damage or restoration work of any kind (Including re-painting). “the insured value” means the amount that Webb’s in its absolute discretion from time to time shall consider the value for which a lot should be covered for insurance (whether or not insurance is

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arranged by Webb’s).

All values expressed in Webb’s catalogues (in any format) are in New Zealand Dollars (NZD$). All bids, “hammer price”, “reserves”, “Buyers Premium” and other expressions of value are understood by all parties to be in New Zealand Dollars (NZD$) unless otherwise specified.

2.

Webb’s Auctions as Agent

Except as otherwise stated, Webb’s acts as agent for the Seller.

The contract for the sale of the property is therefore made between the Seller and the Buyer.

3.

Before the Sale

3.1.

Examination of Property Prospective Buyers are strongly advised to examine in person any property in which they are interested before the Auction takes place. Neither Webb’s nor the Seller provides any guarantee in relation to the nature of the property apart from the Limited warranty in the paragraph below.

The property is otherwise sold “AS IS” 3.2.

Catalogue and Other Descriptions All statements by Webb’s in the catalogue entry for the property or in the condition report, or made orally or in writing elsewhere, are statements of opinion and are not to be relied upon as statements of fact. Such statements do not constitute a representation, warranty or assumption of liability

by Webb’s of any kind. References in

the catalogue entry to the condition report to damage or restoration are for guidance only and should be evaluated by personal inspection by the bidder or a knowledgeable representative. The absence of such a reference does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Estimates of the selling price should not be relied on as a statement that this is the price at which the item will sell or its value for any other purpose.

Neither Webb’s nor The Seller is responsible for any errors or omissions in the catalogue or any supplemental material.

Images are measured height by width (sight size). Illustrations are provided only as a guide and should not be relied upon as a true representation of colour or condition. Images are not shown at a standard scale. Mention is rarely made of frames (which may be provided as supplementary images on the website) which do not form part of the lot as described in the printed catalogue.

An item bought “on Extension” must be paid for in full before it will be released to the purchaser or his/her agreed expertising committee or specialist.

Payments received for such items will be held “in trust” for up to 90 days or earlier, if the issue of authenticity has been resolved more quickly. Extensions must be requested before the auction.

Foreign buyers should note that all transactions are in New Zealand Dollars so there may be a small exchange rate risk. The costs associated with acquiring a good opinion or certificate will be carried by the purchaser. If the item turns out to be forged or otherwise incorrectly

described, all reasonable costs will be borne by the vendor.

3.3.

Buyers Responsibility All property is sold “as is” without representation or warranty of any kind

by Webb’s or the Seller. Buyers are responsible for satisfying themselves concerning the condition of the property and the matters referred to in the catalogue by requesting a condition report.

No lot to be rejected if, subsequent to the sale, it has been immersed in liquid or treated by any other process unless the Auctioneer’s permission to subject the lot to such immersion or treatment has first been obtained in writing.

4.

At the Sale

4.1.

Refusal of Admission Webb’s reserves the right at our complete discretion to refuse admission to the auction premises or participation in any auction and to reject any bid.

4.2.

Registration Before Bidding Any prospective new buyer must complete and sign a registration form and provide photo identification before bidding. Webb’s may request bank, trade or other financial references to substantiate this registration.

4.3.

Bidding as a Principal When making a bid, a bidder is accepting personal liability to pay the purchase price including the buyer’s premium and all applicable taxes, plus all other applicable charges, unless it has been explicitly agreed in writing with Webb’s before the commencement of the sale that the bidder is acting as agent on behalf of an identified third party acceptable to Webb’s and that Webb’s will only look to the principal for payment.

4.4.

International Registrations All International clients not known to Webb’s will be required to scan or fax through an accredited form of photo identification and pay a deposit at our discretion in cleared funds into Webb’s account at least 24 hours before the commencement of the auction. Bids will not be accepted without this deposit.

Webb’s also reserves the right to request any additional forms of identification prior to registering an overseas bid.

This deposit can be made using a credit card, however the balance of any purchase price in excess of $5,000 cannot be charged to this card without prior arrangement.

This deposit is redeemable against any auction purchase and will be refunded in full if no purchases are made.

4.5.

Absentee Bids Webb’s will use reasonable efforts to execute written bids delivered to us AT LEAST 24 Hours before the sale for the convenience of those clients who are unable to attend the auction in person.

If we receive identical written bids on a particular lot, and at the auction these are the highest bids on that lot, then the lot will be sold to the person whose written bid was received and accepted first. Execution of written bids is a free service undertaken subject to other commitments at the time of the sale and we do not accept liability for failing to execute a written bid or for errors or omissions which may arise. It is the bidder’s responsibility to check with Webb’s after the auction if they were successful. Unlimited or “Buy” bids will not be accepted.

4.6.

Telephone Bids Priority will be given to overseas and bidders from other regions. Please refer to the catalogue for the Telephone Bids form. Arrangements for this service must be confirmed AT LEAST 24 HOURS PRIOR to the auction commencing.

Webb’s accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any errors or failure to execute bids. In telephone bidding the buyer agrees to be bound by all terms and conditions listed here and accepts that Webb’s cannot be held responsible for any miscommunications in the process. The success of telephone bidding cannot be guaranteed due to circumstances that are unforeseen.

Buyers should be aware of the risk and accept the consequences should contact be unsuccessful at the time of Auction. You must advise Webb’s of the lots in question, and you will be assumed to be a buyer at the minimum price of 75% of estimate (i.e. reserve) for all such lots. Webb’s will advise Telephone Bidders who have registered at least 24 hours before the auction of any relevant changes to descriptions, withdrawals, or any other sale room notices.

4.7.

Online Bidding Webb’s offers an online bidding service.

When bidding online the buyer agrees to be bound by all terms and conditions listed here by Webb’s.

Webb’s accepts no responsibility for any errors, failure to execute bids or any other miscommunications regarding this process. It is the online bidder’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the relevant information regarding bids, lot numbers and contact details. Webb’s does not charge for this service.

4.8.

Reserves Unless otherwise indicated, all lots are offered subject to a reserve, which is the confidential minimum price below which the Lot will not be sold. The reserve will not exceed the low estimate printed in the catalogue. The auctioneer may open the bidding on any Lot below the reserve by placing a bid on behalf of the Seller.

The auctioneer may continue to bid on behalf of seller up to the amount of the reserve, either by placing consecutive bids or by placing bids in response to other bidders.

4.9.

Auctioneers Discretion The Auctioneer has the right at his/ her absolute and sole discretion to refuse any bid, to advance the bidding according to the following indicative steps: Increment Dollar Range Amount $20 $0–$500 $50 $500–$1,000 $100 $1,000–$2,000 $200 $2,000–$5,000 $500 $5,000–$10,000 $1,000 $10,000–$20,000 $2,000 $20,000–$50,000 $5,000 $50,000 – $100,000 $10,000 $100,000–$200,000 $20,000 $200,000–$500,000 $50,000 $500,000–$1,000,000 Absentee bids must follow these increments and any bids that don’t follow the steps will be rounded up to the nearest acceptable bid.

5.

After the Sale

5.1.

Buyers Premium In addition to the hammer price, the buyer agrees to pay to Webb’s the buyer’s premium. The buyer’s premium is 19.5% of the hammer price plus GST. (Goods and Services Tax) where applicable.

5.2.

Payment and Passing of Title The buyer must pay the full amount due (comprising the hammer price, buyer’s premium and any applicable taxes and GST) not later than 2 days after the auction date.

The buyer will not acquire title to the lot until Webb’s receives full payment in cleared funds, and no goods under any circumstances will be released without confirmation of cleared funds received.

This applies even if the buyer wishes to send items overseas.

Payment can be made by direct transfer, cash (not exceeding NZD$5,000, if wishing to pay more than NZD$5,000 then this must be deposited directly into

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a Bank of New Zealand branch and bank receipt supplied) and EFTPOS (please check the daily limit). Payments can be made by debit card or credit card in person with a 2.2% merchant fee for Visa, Mastercard and Paywave, and 3.3% for American Express. Invoices that are in excess of $5,000 and where the card holder is not present, cannot be charged to a credit card without prior arrangement. Cheques are no longer accepted.

5.6.3.

to cancel the sale.

5.6.4.

to resell the property publicly or privately on such terms as we see fit.

5.6.5.

to pay the Seller an amount up to the net proceeds payable in respect of the amount bid by the defaulting Buyer. In these circumstances the defaulting Buyer can have no claim upon Webb’s in the event that the item(s) are sold for an amount greater than the original invoiced amount.

The buyer is responsible for any bank fees and charges applicable for the transfer of funds into Webb’s account.

5.3.

Collection of Purchases & Insurance Webb’s is entitled to retain items sold until all amounts due to us have been received in full in cleared funds. Subject to this, the Buyer shall collect purchased lots within 2 days from the date of the sale unless otherwise agreed in writing between Webb’s and the Buyer.

5.6.6.

to set off against any amounts which Webb’s may owe the Buyer in any other transactions, the outstanding amount remaining unpaid by the Buyer.

5.6.7.

where several amounts are owed by the Buyer to us, in respect of different transactions, to apply any amount paid to discharge any amount owed in respect of any particular transaction, whether or not the Buyer so directs.

5.6.8.

to reject at any future auction any bids made by or on behalf of the Buyer or to obtain a deposit from the Buyer prior to accepting any bids.

5.6.9.

to exercise all the rights and remedies of a person holding security over any property in our possession owned by the Buyer whether by way of pledge, security interest or in any other way, to the fullest extent permitted by the law of the place where such property is located.

The Buyer will be deemed to have been granted such security to us and we may retain such property as collateral security for said Buyer’s obligations to us.

At the fall of the hammer, insurance is the responsibility of the purchaser.

5.4.

Packing, Handling and Shipping Webb’s will be able to suggest removals companies that the buyer can use but takes no responsibility whatsoever for the actions of any recommended third party. Webb’s can pack and handle goods purchased at the auction by agreement and a charge will be made for this service. All packing, shipping, insurance, postage & associated charges will be borne by the purchaser.

5.5.

Permits, Licences and Certificates Under The Protected Objects Act 1975, buyers may be required to obtain a licence for certain categories of items in a sale from the Ministry of Culture & Heritage, PO Box 5364, Wellington.

5.6.

Remedies for Non-Payment If the Buyer fails to make full payment immediately, Webb’s is entitled to exercise one or more of the following rights or remedies (in addition to asserting any other rights or remedies available under the law) 5.6.1.

to charge interest at such a rate as we shall reasonably decide.

5.6.2.

to hold the defaulting Buyer liable for the total amount due and to commence legal proceedings for its recovery along with interest, legal fees and costs to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law.

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5.6.10. to take such other action as Webb’s deem necessary or appropriate.

If we do sell the property under paragraph (4), then the defaulting Buyer shall be liable for payment of any deficiency between the total amount originally due to us and the price obtained upon reselling as well as for all costs, expenses, damages, legal fees and commissions and premiums of whatever kinds associated with both sales or otherwise arising from the default.

If we pay any amount to the Seller under paragraph (5) the Buyer acknowledges that Webb’s shall have all of the rights of the Seller, however arising, to pursue the Buyer for such amount.

5.7.

Failure to Collect Purchases Where purchases are not collected within 2 days from the sale date, whether or not payment has been made, we shall be permitted to remove the property to a warehouse at the buyer’s expense, and only release the items after payment in full has been made of removal, storage handling, insurance and any other costs incurred, together with payment of all other amounts due to us.

6.

Extent of Webb’s Liability

Webb’s agrees to refund the purchase price in the circumstances of the Limited Warranty set out in paragraph 7 below.

Apart from that, neither the Seller nor we, nor any of our employees or agents are responsible for the correctness of any statement of whatever kind concerning any lot, whether written or oral, nor for any other errors or omissions in description or for any faults or defects in any lots. Except as stated in paragraph 7 below, neither the Seller, ourselves, our officers, agents or employees give any representation warranty or guarantee or assume any liability of any kind in respect of any lot with regard to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, description, size, quality, condition, attribution, authenticity, rarity, importance, medium, provenance, exhibition history, literature or historical relevance. Except as required by local law any warranty of any kind is excluded by this paragraph.

7.

Limited Warranty

Subject to the terms and conditions of this paragraph, the Seller warrants for the period of thirty days from the date of the sale that any property described in this catalogue (noting such description may be amended by any saleroom notice or announcement) which is stated without qualification to be the work of a named author or authorship is authentic and not a forgery. The term “Author” or “authorship” refers to the creator of the property or to the period, culture, source, or origin as the case may be, with which the creation of such property is identified in the catalogue.

The warranty is subject to the following: it does not apply where a) the catalogue description or saleroom notice corresponded to the generally accepted opinion of scholars and experts at the date of the sale or fairly indicated that there was a conflict of opinions, or b) correct identification of a lot can be demonstrated only by means of a scientific process not generally accepted for use until after publication of the catalogue or a process which at the date of the publication of the catalogue was unreasonably expensive or impractical or likely to have caused damage to the property. the benefits of the warranty are not assignable and shall apply only to the original buyer of the lot as shown on the invoice originally issued by Webb’s when the lot was sold at Auction. the Original Buyer must have remained the owner of the lot without disposing of any interest in it to any third party.

The Buyer’s sole and exclusive remedy against the Seller in place of any other remedy which might be available, is the cancellation of the sale and the refund of the original purchase price paid for the lot less the buyer’s premium which is non-refundable. Neither the Seller nor Webb’s will be liable for any special, incidental nor consequential damages including, without limitation, loss of profits.

The Buyer must give written notice of claim to us within thirty days of the date of the Auction. The Seller shall have the right, to require the Buyer to obtain two written opinions by recognised experts in the field, mutually acceptable to the Buyer and Webb’s to decide whether or not to cancel the sale under warranty. the Buyer must return the lot to Seller in the same condition that it was purchased.

8.

anyone else without our prior written consent. Webb’s and the Seller make no representation or warranty that the Buyer of a property will acquire any copyright or other reproduction rights in it.

10.

Law and Jurisdiction

These terms and conditions and any matters concerned with the foregoing fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New Zealand, unless otherwise stated.

11.

Pre-Sale Estimates

Webb’s publishes with each catalogue our opinion as to the estimated price range for each lot. These estimates are approximate prices only and are not intended to be definitive. They are prepared well in advance of the sale and may be subject to revision. Interested parties should contact Webb’s prior to auction for updated pre-sale estimates and starting prices.

12.

Sale Results

Webb’s will provide auction results, which will be available as soon as possible after the sale. Results will include buyer’s premium. These results will be posted at www.webbs.co.nz.

13.

Goods and Service Tax

GST is applicable on the hammer price in the case where the seller is selling property that is owned by an entity registered for GST. GST is also applicable on the hammer price in the case where the seller is not a New Zealand resident. These lots are denoted by a dagger symbol † placed next to the estimate. GST is also applicable on the buyer’s premium.

Severability

If any part of these Conditions of Sale is found by any court to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that part shall be discounted, and the rest of the Conditions shall continue to be valid to the fullest extent permitted by law.

9.

Copyright

The copyright in all images, illustrations and written material produced by Webb’s relating to a lot including the contents of this catalogue, is and shall remain the property at all times of Webb’s and shall not be used by the Buyer, nor by

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Index of Artists

A Albrecht, Gretchen

P 59

D Dashper, Julian

32-33

E Ellis, Robert

90

F Fahey, Jacqueline

44

H Hanly, Pat Henderson, Louise

66 63

26

M Maw, Liz McLeod, Andrew Mrkusich, Milan

100

22 55

S Spencer Bower, Olivia Stichbury, Peter Stringer, Terry

79 50 92

T Tibbo, Teuane

41

W White, A. Lois White, Robin Woollaston, Toss

71 29 36

Y

K Killeen, Richard

Pardington, Fiona Parekōwhai, Michael

48 86 83

Younghusband, Adele

75

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

33a Normanby Road Mount Eden Auckland 1024 23 Marion Street Te Aro Wellington 6011 webbs.co.nz