Welcome to Cooee Art MarketPlace’s first Aboriginal Fine Art auction offering for 2019. Our multi-vendor auction on 4 June features 105 lots, including 36 works from the estate of collector and art enthusiast Mike Chandler. The sale carries a total estimate of $750,000–$1.4 million.
Mike Chandler was a close friend and valued client who supported Cooee Art and many other prominent galleries across Australia. For more than two decades, Mike and his delightful wife, Barbie, were welcome additions to countless exhibitions, openings and art events. Barbie’s passing two years ago affected him deeply, yet Mike continued to visit galleries, attend exhibitions and champion Aboriginal art amongst his family and friends. He will be greatly missed.
The artworks from Mike’s estate are offered as Lots 46–75 and are preceded in the catalogue by a short tribute. These works will be on display in our Bondi showroom, with a special viewing event to be held on Saturday 1 June at 2pm.
Among the highlights of the sale is a highly significant early Papunya board by Johnny Scobie Tjapanangka (Lot 16), recently returned to Australia from the United States. *Women’s Dreaming*, 1972, measuring 63 x 72.5 cm and estimated at $40,000–$60,000, is believed to be the only painting created by Scobie during the Bardon years. An illustration of the work, together with accompanying notes, the original field note and drawing, is reproduced in Geoffrey Bardon and James Bardon’s seminal publication on the origins of the Western Desert Painting Movement.*
An even earlier Papunya board, Lot 15, is a genuine sleeper. Created in 1971, it was only the fourth painting ever produced by Johnny Warrangkula Tjupurrula and carries a conservative estimate of $8,000–$11,000.
Contemporary urban works by Lin Onus and Richard Bell are also standout inclusions. Major works by Onus have been fiercely contested at recent auctions, while smaller works on illustration board remain exceptionally rare and tightly held by collectors. *Gumurring Garkman*, 1994, is a delightful example of Lin’s most celebrated style. Later used as the basis for one of his most enduringly popular fine art prints, this original work is estimated at $50,000–$60,000 (Lot 21) and represents a rare opportunity for discerning collectors.
Richard Bell’s *A White Hero for Black Australia* presents one of the most iconic sporting images of the twentieth century in the artist’s unmistakable graphic style. The work depicts the medal ceremony for the 200 metres at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. Australian athlete Peter Norman stands alongside African American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos. More than a passive bystander, Norman procured the Human Rights badges worn by the athletes and suggested that Smith and Carlos share the same pair of black gloves. Measuring 100 x 150 cm, the work is estimated at $25,000–$35,000 (Lot 20).
Other notable offerings include a stunning pair of Mokuy Spirits by Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award winner Nawurapu Wunungmurra (Lot 24, estimate $10,000–$15,000), a charming suite of ten small boards depicting scenes from the Old Texas cattle station by Queenie McKenzie (estimate $15,000–$20,000), a magnificent large-scale work by Minnie Pwerle with a distinctly contemporary aesthetic (Lot 36, estimate $25,000–$35,000), and several fine paintings by Emily Kame Kngwarreye.
The sale is further enriched by a selection of important bark paintings by Arnhem Land masters, along with a number of nineteenth and early twentieth-century artefacts.
We look forward to welcoming you to the showroom or assisting you in the lead-up to the auction. The quality of the works on offer is exceptional. In addition, our buyer’s premium remains highly competitive at just 20%, lower than many other auction houses. Detailed catalogue notes, artist biographies and information about the stories and subjects depicted in the artworks can be found on our website.
*Geoffrey Bardon and James Bardon, Papunya: A Place Made After the Story, Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2004.