leonard, issue 2, november 2011

Issue TWO / NOVEMBER 2011

THE DAVID BROMLEYCOLLECTION

FREEPLEAsE TAkE

A COPY

If you would like to receive Leonard you can subscribe online at leonardjoel.com.au for free digital delivery.If you would like to receive a printed version you can collect a free copy at Leonard Joel.If you’d prefer to be sent Leonard by mail you can subscribe to Leonard for $44 per year for postage and handling.

John Albrecht, Managing DirectorPhone 0413 819 767

Email [email protected]

Art

Briar Williams, Head of Art

Phone 03 8825 5608


Jon Dwyer, Senior Adviser to the Art Department

Phone 0402 751 610


Jewellery

John D’Agata, Head of Jewellery

Phone + 61 (0) 3 8825 5605


DecorAtive Arts AnD Design

Guy Cairnduff, Head of Classic Furniture, Objects

and Design

Phone +61 (0) 3 8825 5611


collectAbles

Giles Moon, Head of Collectables and Books

Phone + 61(0) 3 8825 5635


books AnD MAnuscripts

Giles Moon, Head of Collectables and Books

Phone + 61(0) 3 8825 5635


pre–owneD luxury

John D’Agata, Head of Jewellery

Phone + 61 (0) 3 8825 5605


the speciAlist collector

Guy Cairnduff, Head of The Specialist Collector

Phone +61 (0) 3 8825 5611


the weekly Auction

Shawn Mitchell, Head of Weekly Auctions

Phone + 61 (0) 3 8825 5615


vAluAtion services

Monique Le Grand

Phone + 61 (0) 3 8825 5620


Leonard Joel Specialists

LEonARD JoEL

Primary Salerooms

333 Malvern Road,

South Yarra, Victoria 3141

Australia

Tel: +61 (0) 3 9826 4333

Fax: +61 (0) 3 9826 4544

Subscriptions

Leonard is published 10 times a year by Leonard Joel. If you have any questions regarding Leonard please contact 03 9826 4333

CoverDavid Bromley in Daylesford, Victoria

PhotographyRick Merrie

leonardjoel.com.au

Before putting fingers to keyboard for this

foreword I had four short stories rolling

around my head. Let me very briefly share

them with you.

I vividly remember my father telling me that

great artistic periods only flourished amidst

great wealth and patronage. It was one of his

trademark grand statements and I probably

walked away from it half wondering what

the point of the “sweeping observation” was?

The next is the first time I heard the term

“super-cycle” coined in 2007 to describe the

completely historical industrial transfor-

mation underway in China – a transforma-

tion that will blitz the Japanese equivalent

between 1945 and 1985. The third is the

assistance I provided a client to transact

two works by a contemporary Chinese art-

ist in Hong Kong in recent years – the works

returned an approximately 800% profit –

yes that’s 800%! I told him at the time that

it was the greatest windfall for a client that I

believe I would ever witness in my lifetime. I

thought very little about it after that. My final

story drives the title of this foreword and it is

about an extremely useful publication known

as Art Market Trends 2010 (AMT2010)

which is produced by ARTPRICE, the widely

acknowledged leader in international fine art

auction sale data and trends. It is an annual

read and it provides a wonderful snapshot of

global art movements.

The current edition is emblazoned with a

version of China’s flag and this in itself gen-

erated my curiosity. While I knew China art

sales were booming, I always understood

that New York, London and to a lesser extent

Paris dominated this market place for the

resale of art for the best part of the last 150

years. AMT2010 is very statistical and sur-

vey driven which is probably why I like it, as

crunching their numbers is made very easy

for someone as innumerate as myself – I viv-

idly remember being the only one in my year

7 class that got a statistical survey assign-

ment correct – it was the first and last time

I remember feeling competently numerate! I

digress. As I progressed through AMT2010 I

was simply overwhelmed by the plethora of

Chinese artists and records not just decorat-

ing but literally dominating this edition. It

was clear that great wealth, a super-cycle and

Chinese art were changing the face of global

art as I had always understood it.

Some simple observations to begin with. For

the best part of 50 years both Andy Warhol

and Pablo Picasso have contributed the bulk

of value generated in the international auc-

tion market. In just three (yes three) short

years the Chinese artists Qi Baishi (1864-

1957) and Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) have

separated Warhol from Picasso as the second

top seller and surrounded him with their

2nd and 4th places respectively – Baishi at

$339,000,000 and Daqian at $304,000,000!

In total, no less than four Chinese artists

occupy the top 10 places for global art rev-

enues at auction. If one was looking for data

that distilled the tectonic and lightening

speed shift in the art market from West to

East it is this one. Having got my head around

just how profound this shift was and the fact

that China is now the undisputed capital for

art transactions, I delved deeper and found

other interesting information. For the sake

of simplicity I will provide them in bullet

points:

• ThescaleofrepatriationofChineseartby

mainland Chinese is historically unprece-

dented – the combination of the sheer vol-

ume of output from China over the centu-

ries and the extraordinary rise in wealth of

the Chinese is creating a cultural collecting

phenomena. For instance, no less than 15 of

the top 20 Old Master results were for Chi-

nese artists.

• Of the 10 largest auction houses in the

world Chinese ones now occupy seven

positions

• In 2007 global fine art revenue reached

$9.39 billion – doubling that of the 2005

result. And just as quickly as it collapsed in

2009 it was back at $9.36 billion in 2010,

largely due to China’s unbelievably rapid

recovery from their 2009 results

• Interestingly, the only area of themarket

not to suffer during the dark months of

2008/2009 was the Old Masters area; insu-

lated by sheer scarcity, public acquisitions

and a far less faddish collector base

• But the appetite for contemporary is not

waning either – between 2000 and 2010

this market segment grew from under $100

million annually to just under $1 billion in

2010 – put simply, the contemporary mar-

ket is ten times stronger than it was ten

years ago.

Having now bombarded you with what I

think are some truly extraordinary facts you

are probably asking where Australian art sits

in all of this information? I too was asking the

same question as I became initially daunted

by AMT2010’s top 500 artists by global turn-

over. I began searching line by line and came

up with Australia’s representation and it con-

stitutes 1.2% or six artists in total.

Here they are by rank:

271 Sidney Robert Nolan $4,874,098

331 John Cecil Brack $3,816,271

336 Brett Whiteley $3,747,094

376 Frank Jeffrey Edson Smart $3,189,366

400 Frederick Roland Williams $2,894,253

439 Russell Drysdale $2,522,100

A final thought - before reading this edition

of AMT2010 I had the usual international

auction houses occupying my understanding

of who dominated international fine art auc-

tion trade – now I have “Poly International”

stuck in their also – to quote AMT2010 “The

planet’s third auction house by revenue”. It

doesn’t have quite the same ring to it but I’m

sure over time the meaning and emotions

that attach to a brand will also change for

Poly International.

The Rise of ChinaoR Who EvER hEARD oF PoLy IntERnAtIonAL?

FOReWORd

LEonARD JoEL

Primary Salerooms

333 Malvern Road,

South Yarra, Victoria 3141

Australia

Tel: +61 (0) 3 9826 4333

Fax: +61 (0) 3 9826 4544

BY JOHN ALBRECHT, MANAgINg DIRECTOR LEONARD JOEL

Art Market Trends 2010 can be viewed and downloaded at www.artprice.com

1 novEMBERLEONARD

A 1964 C2 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe Queensland registration VTT64, left

hand drive, General Motors LT1 350 engine, four speed automatic transmission, front

disc brakes, sold together with the original wheels and wheel covers, registered until 31

March 2012.

Estimate $55,000 - $65,000

COnTenTs

noveMber contents

CALEnDAR 3

nEWS 4

ARtISt In FoCuS 6

novEMBER PREvIEW 7

DAnISh MoDERnISM 8

ARt – DECEMBER PREvIEW 10

JEWELLERy 12

CLASSIC oBJECtS AnD FuRnItuRE 14

novEMBER PREvIEW 15

CoLLECtABLES 16

thE WEEkLy 18

PRE oWnED LuxuRy 19

ARt BuSInESS 20

ARt DAtA 21

GEt LEonARD ALL thE tIME

SuBSCRIBE

With more specialist categories and auctions than any auction house of its kind

in Australia, Leonard is the simplest way to remain abreast of all forthcoming

auctions, important sales results, events and auction news. With expert contribu-

tors from all fields of collecting Leonard will be an indispensable tool for both

the seasoned auction-goer and the new collector alike. Leonard is available

both free at Leonard Joel and online or can be subscribed to for an annual fee

of $44 inc GST (postage & handling). Visit us online at www.leonardjoel.com.au

or for subscription information contact [email protected].

FRoM SInGLE ItEMS to CoLLECtIonSIf you have a single item or collection you

wish to sell, the Leonard Joel team of spe-

cialists can guide you through the entire val-

uation and auction process. We can provide

you with experts across all collecting fields,

no less than thirteen categories of auction to

select from and the most expansive calendar

of catalogue auctions in Australia. Leon-

ard Joel specialists conduct insurance and

market valuations for the entire spectrum

of clients - private collectors, corporations,

museums, fiduciaries and government enti-

ties are advised by our valuers and special-

ists on a daily basis.

tAILoRED tRuSt AnD EStAtE SERvICESLeonard Joel has a long and distinguished

history of assisting both trust companies and

executors with the dispersal of important

collections. We provide fiduciaries (lawyers,

trust officers, accountants and executors)

with a complete suite of services to manage

accurately and successfully the dispersal

of large and small estates. Our services are

specially designed to aid in the appraisal

and dispersal of fine art, antiques, jewel-

lery, objet d’art, collectables, books & manu-

scripts and general household contents.

Thinking of Selling?

Our specialists are now sourcing single items and collections for the following categories:

AuStRALIAn AnD IntERnAtIonAL ARt

FInE JEWELLERy AnD WRIStWAtChES

PRE-oWnED LuxuRy

CLASSIC oBJECtS AnD FuRnItuRE

MoDERn DESIGn

SInGLE oWnER CoLLECtIonS

CoLLECtABLE toyS AnD SPoRtInG MEMoRABILIA

MILItARIA

BookS AnD MAnuSCRIPtS

1964 CoRvEttE StInGRAy

2 LEONARDnovEMBER

Leonard Joel is delighted to announce their

engagement to manage the dispersal of

David Bromley’s personal collection of art,

antiques, objects and ephemera.

For the last two decades David has been one

of the dominant forces in the Australian art

scene but the extent of his creative energy

moves well beyond his language as an artist.

A passionate collector in his own right,

David has brought his artistic vision and

acquisitive nature to projects as diverse as

publishing, film, the three dimensional arts,

public and private commissions and ven-

tures such as A Day on Earth that became

recognised as more than just emporiums for

collectors of post-war utility, design and art

but quite literally living and breathing local

museums.

David’s art is commonly framed by his two

consistent and unique interpretations; nos-

talgic storybook imagery and a pop sensibil-

ity that is unique on the Australian art scene.

But these two themes are really just two fac-

ets of an individual that has evolved in to a

complex creator across multiple mediums

and visions; both here and internationally.

To visit his Melbourne studio is to taste

what it may have been like to visit Warhol’s

dynamic New York space for art, people and

ideas; albeit with much more soul, warmth

and playfulness. This interpretation of

what Bromley’s world has become is turned

on its head by a visit to his extraordinary

hangar (warehouse is far too smaller word

for what it is) in Daylesford where he has

quite literally taken unrestricted collect-

ing from around the world and interpreted

it within this space in much the same way

an undisturbed young child would build his

or her model fantasy world. To sample the

dichotomy between these two spaces, that

goes toward defining the artist, is to feel

both enchanted and overwhelmed by the

sheer volume and splendour of Bromley’s

creativity.

ForthcoMing Auctions

the Weekly Auction Every Thursday in 2011 – 10am333 Malvern Road, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria

Decorative Arts & Fine Furniture Sunday 20th November 2011 – 12pm 333 Malvern Road, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria

the David Bromley Collection Part I Sunday 27th November 2011 – 12pm Shed 4 29 East Street, Daylesford

the David Bromley Collection Part II Monday 28th November 2011 – 6.30pm 333 Malvern Road, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria

Fine Jewellery AuctionSunday 4th December 2011 – 1pm333 Malvern Road, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria

the Sunday Fine Art Auction Sunday 4th December 2011 – 2pm333 Malvern Road, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria

the Specialist Print Auction Thursday 8th December 2011 – 11.30am333 Malvern Road, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria

Collectables Auction Sunday 11th December 2011 – 12pm333 Malvern Road, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria

the Christmas Auction Tuesday 20th December 2011 333 Malvern Road, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria

The DAViD BRoMleY ColleCTionPARt I – DAyLESFoRDPARt II – MELBouRnE

CalendaR

Leonard Joel is a proud supporter of Arts Project Australia

Auctions and viewing times are subject to change.

3 novEMBERLEONARD

The motivations behind the building of a

collection are many and varied – for some,

investment is an important consideration,

while for others, pure aesthetic attrac-

tion is the driving force behind their deci-

sion to acquire. For Sydney collector, Dr

Genevieve Cummins, a collection begun

in an effort to replace family heirlooms

bequeathed to other relatives soon became

a consuming interest in antique boxes, their

specific purposes and reuniting them with

their contents. To quote Dr Cummins, ‘so

many times in antique shops I had seen the

look of disappointment on people’s faces

as they eagerly opened antique boxes on

display, only to find them stripped of their

contents.’

She describes her first purchase, a mother

of pearl inlaid papier mache compendium,

sadly lacking its contents but retaining the

compartment for sewing tools. Gradually,

replacement date-correct mother of pearl

tools were purchased and the compendium

was returned to its original purpose.

Over a period of a decade, Dr Cummins’

passion for collecting culminated in the

purchase of over 1000 objects and sev-

eral specialist publications, co-authored

with fellow collectors and written herself,

including Antique Boxes: Inside and Out -

an encyclopaedic survey of antique boxes

with over 1,000 images of nearly 2000

items, many from her own collection, this

publication is considered an authoritative

text on boxes, in a historical, social and

artistic context.

As part of Leonard Joel’s November Clas-

sic Objects, Furniture and Design Auction

over 130 boxes from the collection of Dr

Genevieve Cummins will be offered for

sale, in the first of a series of auctions. This

initial selection has been made with a view

to showcasing the variety of examples in

the Cummins Collection, including sewing

boxes, writing compendiums, snuff boxes,

ballot boxes, tea caddies, vanity cases and

knife boxes, to name just a few. As varied

as their uses are the exotic materials from

which many of the boxes are constructed;

including tortoiseshell, ivory, papier

mache, ormolu and ebony.

Amongst this selection are a number of Dr

Cummins’ favourite pieces, perhaps most

notably a late eighteenth/early 19th century

straw work miniature bureau (illustrated).

Replicating in miniature the proportions of

a full sized writing desk, every surface of

the box is applied with fine geometric pan-

els in coloured straw, opening to an interior

fitted with a multitude of miniature storage

compartments. Or the late 18th century

English quill work sewing box, with its

surface of intricate filigree made from gilt-

edged rolled paper and fitted interior with

period sewing accessories, its quality sum-

marised by Dr Cummins as ‘exceptionally

beautiful , yet quiet – it’s the only one I’ve

ever seen.’

And so encapsulates the psychology of the

collector, where objects become as much

works of art as features of everyday life – to

quote Dr Cummins, ‘we live in them, work

in them and we are buried in them.’

The geneVieVe CuMMinS ColleCTion of AnTique BoxeS

neWs

thE InFoRMED CoLLECtoR SERIES FLooR tALk on AntIquE BoxESRenowned collector and writer on antique boxes, their use and contents, Dr

Genevieve Cummins, will give clients of Leonard Joel an insight into aspects on

items from a selection of her personal collection of boxes, which will be offered as

part of Leonard Joel’s November Classic Objects, Furniture and Design Auction.

Date: Saturday 19th November

Venue: Leonard Joel

333 Malvern Road, South Yarra, Victoria 3141

Time: 12.00pm – 12.30pm

RSVP: Liza Hallam, Decorative Arts Department on (03) 8825 5626 or email

[email protected]

A Rare Straw Work Miniature Bureau Circa 1800Estimate $10,000 – $15,000

A ConSIDERED CoLLECtIon – InSIDE AnD out

4 LEONARDnovEMBER

JewelleryIncluding important signed jewellery, collectable wristwatches, Australian jewellery and pre-owned luxury

ArtIncluding important Australian and international art Photography and Sculpture

Classic Furniture and objectsIncluding modern design and single-owner collections

CollectablesIncluding toys, sporting memorabilia and militaria

AlWAYS ConSigning

neWs

The 6 October Monthly Toy Sale achieved very strong results with 84% of lots sell-

ing. Indeed some lots achieved higher prices than in recent seasonal Toy sales. Of

particular note was lot 66, a Spot-On Presentation 0 set that sold for $1,020 IBP.

The very same set was originally sold in the in May, 2010 for $840 IBP.

MonthLy toyS GRoWInG uP

On Thursday evening Leonard Joel and

Arts Project Australia invited 150 guests

to attend the Outsider Art auction. In the

presence of Therese Rein, Arts Project Aus-

tralia’s patron, more than 50 works of art

were offered without buyer’s premium and

with all proceeds to Arts Project Australia.

All artworks were generously donated by

artists, galleries and private collectors.

Therese Rein opened the auction proceed-

ings and provided the audience with her

insights in to the inspiring work that both

the Arts Project Australia artists create and

the staff their undertake. At Arts Project

Australia as many as 140 intellectually disa-

bled individuals are provided with a gal-

lery, studio and administration to develop

their artistic passions within a caring and

non-directional environment. The auction

was a complete success, raising in excess

of $65,000 on the night. Sue Roff, execu-

tive director of Arts Project Australia, was

delighted with the result and commented:

“Wow. This exceeded all my expectations”.

Arts Project Australia is based in High

Street Northcote and is considered one of

the finest organisations of its type in the

world. Arts Project Australia is open to

the public and works can be acquired from

their regular gallery exhibitions or their

extraordinary archive of works. For more

information about Arts Project Australia go

to www.artsproject.org.au

LEonARD JoEL RAISES $65,000 FoR ARtS PRoJECt AuStRALIA

Spot-On No. 0 Presentation SetSold $1,020 (IBP)

The Outsider Art Fundraising AuctionSusan Saunders, John Albrecht, Therese Rein, Sue Roff

Kerstine Elliott Portrait Photography

Arts Project Australia

24 High Street, Northcote

Gallery open: Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 1pm

5 novEMBERLEONARD

AnoTheR life

aRTIsT In FOCus

Except for a brief showing of his work in the

1990 Australian Artists Abroad Exhibition

at Savill Galleries, Sydney, and a retrospec-

tive exhibition at Christopher Day Gallery,

Sydney, in the same year, the Australian art-

ist Norman Lloyd was a forgotten figure both

locally and nationally. Although he had a suc-

cessful career in Australia in the 1920s, his

move to England took him out of the spot-

light in this country, yet he exhibited exten-

sively in England, France and the United

States of America until his death in 1983. Art

journalist, Terry Ingram wrote, in reference

to a work by Lloyd, which was sold at auction

for a considerable sum, “He also contradicts

the familiar story of the Australian artist

going overseas to see his work go downhill”.

Norman Lloyd was born in Hamilton, New-

castle in 1894. Like other Novocastrians, par-

ticularly as the son of a coal miner in the early

twentieth century, with aspirations of an art

career, Lloyd was forced to make the move

in 1911, to the more supportive art world in

Sydney. After performing various manual

jobs while studying art with James R Jack-

son and later Julian Ashton, Lloyd enlisted

in the Australian Imperial Forces in 1916,

and was immediately dispatched to Europe.

After being seriously wounded a year later,

he returned to Sydney. A collection of works

he produced during the war is in the Austral-

ian War Memorial in Canberra. In 1918, after

convalescence, he resumed landscape paint-

ing lessons with Ashton. From 1921 to 1926

Lloyd exhibited successfully in Sydney and

Melbourne to audiences who admired the

traditional style reminiscent of his teach-

ers. Ashton wrote in an exhibition catalogue

“He took up his paintbrush again (after the

war) and I suggested he should try to cap-

ture some of those marvellous atmospheric

effects so frequent in our beautiful harbour.”

For an emerging artist Lloyd’s work was

fresh but also showed a confidence and ear-

nestness which can be seen in the vigorous

brushwork and application of paint; produc-

ing works filled with light and colour. Lloyd

was chasing the elusive light of Australia,

particularly the clarity of the blue skies when

the westerlies were coming.

Not all of his Australian works were of Syd-

ney Harbour, he ventured out into other

environments, as seen in his Hawkesbury

River paintings which were mostly pano-

ramic views of the area.

The Australian newspapers most often

reviewed his work favourably. In 1926, with

the knowledge of Lloyd’s impending move to

London, one reviewer went as far as predict-

ing a great future for his art career.

Lloyd’s sojourn in Europe from 1926 to 1929

was a changing point in his career, particu-

larly in his style of rendering the landscape.

His travels to Italy, France and England

broadened his view and his painting style. He

moved away from the traditional rendering

of the image to a more impressionistic paint-

erly style. He exhibited in the UK, France and

Australia, and, although he came under the

influence of the Impressionists, he did not

venture into the world of what he called “the

affectation, ignorance, and wrong headed

ideas of the so-called ultra-modernists.”

In 1930 Lloyd and his wife Edith (they mar-

ried in 1923) migrated to England. It was here

he reinvented himself and soon established

another life. He and Edith moved into a large

house, in up-market St Johns Wood, owned

by Edith’s family, where they opened their

home to Australian expatriates and other

guests such as HG Wells, Bernard Shaw and

Benjamin Britten.

During WWII, Lloyd was in Africa, and again

was drawn to the light of the sun-drenched

terrain. Later he travelled to Spain and the

Atlas Mountains in Morocco where he found

capturing light a challenge and quite differ-

ent to that in France.

Privately, Lloyd had developed another,

somewhat, parallel life. From 1947 unbe-

known to his wife, he spent his summers

in Chassignolles, France with Zenadine

Chaumette, whom he had met in Paris after

WWII. While in France he painted prolifi-

cally and exhibited with several salons of the

Societe des Artistes Francais and with the

Salon d’Hiver in Paris. It was not until after

Chaumette’s death in 1954, when Lloyd was

willed her house that Edith became aware of

this other life.

From 1974 he lived at Chassignolles per-

manently until his death in 1983. Lloyd’s

attraction to specific subjects did not change

greatly over his career and the depiction of

buildings, boats and bridges often reflected

in waterways was a recurring theme. The

earliest examples of this can be seen in

Lloyd’s Mount Stewart (Steam Ship, Newcas-

tle Harbour) 1922 and Sydney Harbour circa

1925 where he plays with light and reflection.

Later works painted in England, France and

Morocco continue this interest such as Le

Pont Neuf, Paris circa 1935.

Except for brief forays into still life and fig-

urative representation, which were not as

developed as his landscapes, he continued

to be drawn to the abundance and beauty of

the countryside. This was first evident in an

exhibition of Australian works at Macquarie

Galleries in 1926, where works depicting the

landscape around Bathurst showed harvest

time with fields of wheat and images of soar-

ing poplars which were later to capture his

interest in the landscape of France.

Overall, Lloyd’s work would be considered

diverse in style. From the early traditional

technique he moved on to Impressionism

and then as one gallery catalogue stated,

to Post Impressionism. He was also influ-

enced by Chinese and Japanese art and went

through a Rousseau stage where the works

were very dark and almost menacing. It is not

unusual for artists to have stylistic variations

throughout their career and in many cases

the more radical changes are not always suc-

cessful. For Lloyd this was also true as flashes

of exceptional innovation exist alongside the

mundane, and naive alongside the visionary.

When we think about successful artists born

in Newcastle, we inevitably cast our thoughts

to William Dobell, John Olsen and Jon

Molvig. These are, however, not the only art-

ists to achieve a high level of professionalism

and broad acceptance. This exhibition of the

works of Norman Lloyd is to acknowledge

him as a committed and significant painter

worthy of recognition and review, particu-

larly in Newcastle, the city of his birth.

1 Terry Ingram, ‘Norman Lloyd’s Work Enjoys a Late Harvest’, Australian Financial Review, December 15, 19882 Norman Lloyd Retrospective Exhibition Cata-logue, Christopher Day Gallery, June 1990. Page 13 Bruce Chenoweth, interview June 14, 20114 Unnamed Publication, 19 May, 1926.5 “Misguided Art – Ultra-Modernism – Sydney Man Abroad”, Evening News, February 6, 1929.6 Stewart’s, London and Donegal, Catalogue “Norman Lloyd FROS, ROI, PLSC, Post Impressionist Artist.

BY ANTON AssAAD

BY MARgARET MCBRIDE

This essay was first published in the catalogue produced for the exhibition Norman Lloyd Another Life 27 August - 27 November 2011 at Newcastle Art Gallery.

© Newcastle Region Art Gallery 2011

NORMAN LLOYD

6 LEONARDnovEMBER

novEMBER PREvIEW – BRonzE

nOvembeR PRevIeW

Ferdinand Preiss(1882-1943)A cold painted bronze and ivory figure, ‘The Skater’, circa 1925Estimate $20,000 – $30,000

7 novEMBERLEONARD

danIsh mOdeRnIsm

The Pelikan Chair by Finn Juhl

WhY DAniShMoDeRniSM?A softeR MoDeRniSM.

8 LEONARDnovEMBER

Mid-century Denmark was a renaissance:

the combination of the industrial revolution,

300 years of cabinet-making history, and the

strong tradition of understanding of function

and the human form. These elements, com-

bined with post-war prosperity, optimism

and a collaborative approach produced a

golden era that became known as the mid-

century Danish movement. This movement

was also a backlash against industrialisation

and the harshness associated with the Bau-

haus movement, that produced what many

believe was and still is some of the most

beautiful furniture from the 20th century.

Kaare Klint is often considered the godfa-

ther of Danish design, having taught many

of the greats including Hans Wegner and

Finn Juhl. His method was strict and func-

tional, but also allowed for a fluidity within

the design of the furniture that had not been

seen before.

Finn Juhl’s work was a shining example of

this fluidity within design. Using organic

forms and influenced by free form art, such

as Wassily Kadinsky, combined with the

structure of Klint’s teaching, created some-

thing truly new. Wegner’s Pelikan Chair and

Poeten Sofa are wonderful examples of the

kind of free form design that came out of

Denmark in the mid-century.

Hans Wegner, considered by most to be the

most prolific chair designer of the 20th cen-

tury, had a very focused approach that cre-

ated some of the most recognized modern

chair designs. Wegner was the master of

proportions and harmony: many would say

much of Wegner’s work is resolved and can-

not be improved upon. The Wishbone Chair,

Y Chair, Plank Chair (GE290) and Round

Chair are all great examples of his resolve.

The Danes were able to combine a softer

aesthetic and understanding of the human

form to conceive a new way of looking at fur-

niture, from a human perspective, and com-

bined with all the best elements of mass pro-

duction, this is Danish Modernism. Wegner

and Juhl are only two of the many designers

who worked in the golden era; others include

Arne Vodder, Kai Kristiansen, Illum Wik-

kelso, Arne Jacobsen, all of whom designed

extraordinary work.

Many ask why this furniture is so collectable

today and what has brought this furniture

into the limelight?

I think the answer to this is simple: the furni-

ture is designed for the human in mind.

Each piece is as relevant today as it was

50 years ago, whether it‘s the Egg Chair by

Jacobsen, or Kaare Klint’s Safari Chair. Each

of these items shows a clear idea of design for

the human. Today more than ever, people are

looking for furniture and objects that are rel-

evant to their life, that relate to who they are

and what is important in their life—as well

as high-quality manufacturing, attention to

detail and a use of rich and tactile materials.

This new way of looking at design, combined

with a rich cabinet-making history, created a

wonderful time that has impacted on design

today and becomes more valuable every year.

BY ANTON AssAAD

FeaTuRe

Anton Assaad is the founder and director of Great Dane Furniture, Melbourne and Sydney

greatdanefurniture.com

The Plank Chair by Hans Wegner

9 novEMBERLEONARD

aRT

JBWere and Leonard Joel are delighted to

announce the joint publication of Jeff Mak-

in’s Critical Moments in conjunction with

Macmillan Press. Jeffrey Makin is a full-time

artist, art critic and Director of Port Jack-

son Press Australia. Born in Wagga Wagga

NSW, he has a diploma in painting from the

National Art School, Sydney and a Master’s

Degree (Research) from Deakin University

Melbourne. Makin has held numerous senior

academic appointments while maintaining a

flourishing artistic practice. Both nationally

and internationally he has held over 60 solo

exhibitions and is recognized as one of Aus-

tralia’s leading landscape painters. His pub-

lication Critical Moments brings to together

his writings as an art critic over the last 40

years and ranges from compelling critiques

of Australian art movements and individual

artists to landmark Australian exhibitions.

This ground breaking work will be essential

reading for not just seasoned art collectors

but also those individuals seeking a concise

and useful summary of the Australian art

market over the last half century. This essen-

tial Australian art text will be available in all

fine art books shops from late November –

December 2011.

thE LonG AWAItED PuBLICAtIon oF JEFF MAkIn’S ESSAyS on AuStRALIAn ARt

NOw CONsIgNINg fOR THE DECEMBER suNDAY fINE ART AuCTION

The September print auction confirmed the appetite for this specialist category with

record attendance and strong levels of absentee and telephone bids. The sale boasted an

80% clearance rate by lot and 100% by value.

Australian women printmakers proved to be popular with great results for Melbourne

artist Aileen Brown and a new record price set for Vera Blackburn with Pattern (illus-

trated) selling for $3,120 IBP.

SoLD – RECoRD PRICE FoR vERA BLACkBuRn

vera blackburn (1911-1991)Pattern 1936linocut, 17.5 x 27cmSold $3,120

CritiCal MoMenTS

10 LEONARDnovEMBER

aRT – deCembeR PRevIeW

AuctionSunday 4 December 2011, 2pm

PreviewWednesday 30 November 2011 9am – 8pmThursday 1 December 2011 9am – 5pmFriday 2 December 2011 9am – 5pm

Saturday 3 December 2011 10am – 5pmSunday 4 December 2011 Limited Viewing

DeCeMBeR ART SAle

Arthur Streeton (1867-1943)Longacresoil on canvas, 58.5 x 74cmEstimate $65,000 – $85,000

One of the highlights of the December Fine Art

sale is Arthur Streeton’s ‘Longacres’.

Arthur Streeton, a founding member of the

Heidelberg School, is unquestionably one of

the most significant and influential artist’s in

the history of Australian art.

Through the colonial period and late Victorian

era the Australian landscape was traditionally

viewed in a very European manner by the likes

of Eugene Von Guerard and Louis Buvelot.

In the cornerstone shift in Australian art, the

Heidelberg School along with fellow members

Frederick McCubbin and Tom Roberts, Arthur

Streeton redefined the ‘impression’ of the Aus-

tralian landscape and with a high keyed palette

displayed the blue and gold of the genuine Aus-

tralian landscape.

Arthur Streeton’s reinvention of the land-

scape bought him high esteem in art circles

and insured he was of the very few Austral-

ian artist’s to enjoy international support and

acceptance.

Painted in the mid 1920’s ‘Longacres’ (illus-

trated) is one of a number of oil paintings pro-

duced by Arthur Streeton on the family prop-

erty ‘Longacres’.

Arthur Streeton purchased five acres of land at

Olinda Victoria in 1921 and subsequently built

his home, naming it ‘Longacres’ on the prop-

erty in 1924.

It is here at ‘Longacres’ that Streeton remained

until his death in 1943 producing many of his

finest later period works including ‘The Valley

from Olinda Top 1925’ ‘Last of the Messmates

1928’ and ‘The Vanishing Forest 1935’

Measuring 50 x 75 cm and in delightful original

condition with a contemporary John Thallon

frame, the work ‘Longacres’ is typical of the

bold and confident brush strokes Streeton dis-

played throughout this period.

This atmospheric work features the diminish-

ing light in the open paddock whilst the warm

late afternoon sunlight filters across the black-

wood trees and the woodpile beyond.

As Lionel Lindsay rightly stated in 1935 ‘As

Australia is concerned his position is unique,

he stands alone, the true discoverer of beauty

and essential character’.

In the painting ‘Longacres’ we witness a pas-

sionate rendition of the landscape and the

remarkable genius and majestic brilliance of

the artist.

11 novEMBERLEONARD

The ultimate object of beauty and desire, it is said that the Natural Pearl forms under a set of accidental conditions when a microscopic intruder parasite enters a mollusk, and settles inside the shell. The irritated mollusk secretes the irritant and thus a pearl is formed. Natural pearls come in many shapes, with perfectly round ones being comparatively rare.Throughout history the rarity of natural pearls have made them a symbol of status and wealth. Mary, Queen of Scots, amongst her vast jewellery collection adored pearls. Of particular merit, a rare rope length strand of black pearls worn by the famous monarch would have been the ultimate in chic in its day. Marie Antoinette, also a fashion icon, sought out only the best pearls available and had them transformed by her court gold and silversmiths into the most sumptuous pieces of jewellery. In the early 20th century the move by Cartier to their present American headquarters at 653 Fifth Avenue, was brought about by an exchange for a matched Oriental double strand of natural pearls that Pierre Cartier had been collecting for years; valued at the time at $1 million USD.Previously, natural pearls were found in many parts of the world but present day natural pearling is confined mostly to the seas off Bahrain. Australia also has one of the world’s last remaining fleets of pearl diving ships and as a result significant numbers of natural pearls are still found in the Australian Indian Ocean waters from wild oysters. The spectacular rarity of these “naturally occurring” pearls as opposed to their cultured descendants was reinforced this year when an antique natural pearl pendant sold at the Leonard Joel Fine Jewellery Auction for an Australian record price of $146,000.00 IBP.

JeWelleRy

This extraordinarily rare antique natural pearl sold for an Australian auction record of $146,000 (IBP)

The luReof TheNAtURAlPeARl

12 LEONARDnovEMBER

NOw CONsIgNINg JEwELLERY, wATCHEs AND PRE OwNED LuxuRY fOR DECEMBER 2011

JeWelleRy

ART DeCo and heRMeS

MAGIC WoRDS At oCtoBER JEWELLERy AnD PoL AuCtIonS

Just before the fine jewellery auction on Sunday

John D’Agata, Head of Jewellery, commented

that for the first time he had more registered

absentee bidders than room bidders - meaning,

that more clients had decided to bid away from

the Leonard Joel rooms than in them. It was

an interesting observation about the changing

dynamics of how people choose to buy at auc-

tion. Despite this “inversion” of room bidders

the sale was well attended and fine quality pre-

cious stone and period jewellery sold extremely

well. Interest in fine quality early 20th century

pieces was most apparent with the sale of three

consecutive lots (29 – 31) of rare opal and dia-

mond jewellery from the Edwardian and Art

Deco periods. Lot 29, a rare Liberty of London

opal and diamond pendant in original fitted

box, proved once again that the simple lines

of this period have stood the test of changing

fashions and realized $5040(IBP), more than

tripling its low estimate. The following two

lots of opal and diamond jewellery, a beautiful

single opal ring with simple diamond shoul-

ders and an elegant pear of perfectly matched

opal drop earrings; both also from the Art Deco

period, realized $4080(IBP) and $7200(IBP)

respectively. The clean lines of that early part

of the 20th century and the neutrality of the

white metals employed have ensured an endur-

ing modernity and appeal over, say, the lavish

and frenzied designs of the Victorian period

when copious amounts of gold and floral deco-

ration were the order of the day. This theme

continued with the sale of lot 79, a beautiful

cushion cut sapphire and diamond ring (first

half 20th century), that realized $3,840. The

elegance of this period was best represented

in this sale by lot 105, an intricately designed

sautoir, constructed using hundreds of minute

seed pearls and ending in diamond drops, this

exquisite piece sold for $4,800 (IBP). Twenty

six lots later, lot 131, a most elegant fancy yel-

low and white diamond ring was offered for

sale. The centre stone of oval design weighed

2.35 carats and the ring realized $33,600 (IBP).

The front cover feature lot of the sale was

eagerly anticipated and sold to a telephone bid-

der for $48,000 (IBP). The impressive Russian

diamond and pearl riviere pendant necklace

was inspired by a piece worn by Catherine the

Great and confirmed again the appetite for dia-

mond and pearl jewellery in precious white

metals. The jewellery auction was immediately

followed by a significant offering of pre-owned

Hermes from a single collection and other

items from international fashion houses. No

less than five luxurious Hermes handbags were

offered for auction. Each of them, in mint con-

dition with original boxes and wrapping, were

eagerly bid for by Hermes lovers, well aware

that the waiting list for some of these extraor-

dinarily luxurious bespoke pieces can run in to

the years! One of the highlights was lot 380, a

raisin leather Birkin, that realized $8,400 (IBP).

The two afternoon auctions realized in excess

of $400,000 and of lots sold 120% by value was

realised. Entries are now invited for forthcom-

ing fine jewellery and pre-owned luxury sales.

Left: A pearl and diamond sautoir so reminiscent of the Great Gatsby lookSold $4800 (IBP)

Right: A perfect condition raisin colour Birkin handbagSold $8,400 (IBP)

Left: A vintage sapphire and diamond ring Sold $3,840 (IBP)

Right: A rare fancy yellow diamond ringSold $33,600 (IBP)

13 novEMBERLEONARD

ClassIC ObJeCTs and FuRnITuRe

ClASSiC ObjeCts AnD fuRniTuRe

A fine quality Louis xvI cut brass and tortoiseshell inlaid pedestal clockThe movement signed D. Bourdin, a BordeauxEstimate: $10,000 - $15,000The Estate of the Late Dr G.J Smibert, Adelaide, South Australia

A fine transitional style ormolu mounted satinwood and kingwood vitrineEstimate $10,000 – $15,000The Estate of the Late Dr G.J Smibert, Adelaide, South Australia

14 LEONARDnovEMBER

Auction Sunday 20 november at 12pmMelbourne

Enquiries:

Contact Guy Cairnduff on (03) 8825 5611 or 0407 828 137, or email

[email protected]

CLASSIC FuRnItuRE oBJECtS & DESIGnFeaturing The Genevieve Cummins Collection of Antique Boxes

nOvembeR PRevIeW

ExtRAoRDInARy RESuLtS At CLEnDInnEn houSE ContEntS AuCtIonLot 15

A Scottish rosewood cased two-day ship’s chronometer. The dial signed Alexr. Dobbie

Sold for $7,200 IBP

Lot 60

A superb Chinese embroidered silk panel Qing Dynasty, 19th century

Sold for $36,000 IBP

Lot 85

A Regency Cary’s Celestial table globe Retailed by G. Do-lond, circa 1820 and later

(illustrated)

Sold for $4,500 IBP

Lot 202

A fine quality mid 19th century cedar and rose mahogany cellarette


Lot 250

A walnut and maple Wooton patent secretary


You can view all results of this sale on our website

http://leonardjoel.com.au/auctions_results_view.php?auction=276&year=2011

A fine quality matched set of three victorian sterling silver ewersMaker’s Marks Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co Ltd, London circa 1900; and Martin, Hall & Co, Sheffield circa 1895/1900Estimate $8,000 – $12,000The Estate of the Late Dr G.J Smibert, Adelaide, South Australia

A rare and important pair of french breech loading pin fire 18ct gold plated pistols by LefaucheuxEach stamped E. LeFaucheux Brte Sdgd, a Paris, with consecutive serial num-bers LF110441 and LF110442Estimate $15,000 – $20,000

15 novEMBERLEONARD

WWI FLyInG ACE AnD qAntAS Co-FounDER PAuL MCGInnESS

A REMARkABLE LIFE

COlleCTables

Important WW1 DFC, DCM Group of Eight Awarded To Flying Ace And Qantas Co-Founder Lieutenant Paul Joseph McGinnessEstimate $160,000 – 200,000

to BE SoLD 20 novEMBER 2011

Giles Moon, head of Collectables at Leonard Joel, discusses the archive he discovered that charts

the remarkable life of WWI Flying Ace and qAntAS Co-Founder Paul McGinness DFC, DCM.

In November a unique WWI medal group

awarded to Lieutenant Paul McGinness

will be offered for auction at Leonard Joel,

Melbourne. McGinness is believed to be the

only Australian serviceman in World War

I or World War II to be awarded both the

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and the

Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM). The

medals are accompanied by a fascinating

archive of photographs and ephemera fol-

lowing McGinness’ military and post-war

career as an aviation pioneer and co-founder

of QANTAS.

Paul Joseph McGinness was born in Fram-

lingham, Victoria on 4 February, 1896. He

attended St Patrick’s College in Ballarat and

at age 18 enlisted in the A.I.F. with the 8th

Light Horse. He was one of the few survivors

to take part in the ill-fated charge at the Nek

at Gallipoli and was later awarded the Dis-

tinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for action

against the Turkish Army at Jifjafa in 1916.

The success of this mission was particularly

significant as it proved to the British High

Command the effectiveness of the Australian

Cavalry in the Middle East.

At age 20 McGinness requested a transfer to

the Flying Corps. This decision was to shape

his future, which he seemed to be well aware

of. In a letter he wrote to his mother in 1916

from the Sinai Desert he explained ‘... You

cannot get a commission in the (A.I.F.) Light

Horse or Infantry unless you are over 23

years of age. Now in the Flying Corps you can

get a commission at 21 and with a DCM to my

credit, I should have a good chance. Another

reason is that aviation is only in its childhood

and, say, if a man had a good deal of experi-

ence in it here, after the War he might follow

it up in Australia - if not in the military, then

perhaps as a profession’.

McGinness transferred to the Australian

Flying Corps in 1918, joining No.1 Squadron.

He flew Bristol Fighters in the Middle East,

gaining seven victories and recognition as a

flying ace - five victories was considered the

qualification. He was awarded the DFC for

action on 24 August, 1918. The citation in the

Supplement to the London Gazette dated 8

February, 1919 reads:

‘A bold and gallant airman who has dis-

played marked initiative and skill in attack-

ing and destroying enemy aircraft, notably

on 24th August, when, with his observer, he

crashed two enemy machines in an engage-

ment against heavy odds. He has also carried

16 LEONARDnovEMBER

out successful attacks on enemy aerodromes,

inflicting heavy casualties and causing seri-

ous damage.’ During some of these missions,

McGinness’ Observer and Gunner was Lieu-

tenant Wilmot Hudson Fysh.

After the war, McGinness and Fysh reu-

nited to enter the Great Air Race. A prize of

AU$10,000 was on offer to the first Austral-

ians to complete a flight from Great Britain

to Australia in less than 720 hours before

midnight on 31 December, 1919. Sir Samuel

McHaughey had donated the Bristol Fighter

that McGinness had flown in World War 1

and agreed to fund the pair’s entry into the

race. However, McHaughey died suddenly

and his estate refused to honour the funding

so McGinness and Fysh were forced to with-

draw from the race.

Their involvement in the race did con-

tinue when they were commissioned by

the Defence Department to survey suitable

landing sites for the race, from Longreach in

Queensland to Darwin in the Northern Terri-

tory. It was during this period that the plans

for a local air service began to form. McGin-

ness and Fysh had used a Model T Ford to

complete the survey. This was a phenom-

enal achievement considering the complete

absence of sealed roads at this time. The

journey had been painstakingly slow with

roads and bridges often rendered impass-

able due to flooding. With these experiences,

the two aviators realised that there was huge

potential for a local commercial air service

but needed to raise significant funds to get

the project off the ground.

As luck would have it, McGinness had previ-

ously met Fergus McMaster, a grazier whose

car McGinness repaired when it had broken

down on the Cloncurry riverbed. McMas-

ter agreed to invest and persuaded a friend,

Ainslie Templeton to match his contribution.

McGinness was instrumental in further fun-

draising, flying from town to town in Queens-

land and the Northern Territory asking locals

for investments and support. Arthur Baird, a

highly talented engineer, who had served

with McGinness and Fysh in the Australian

Flying Corps also agreed to join the fledgling

company.

With adequate funds the Queensland And

Northern Territory Aerial Service was for-

mally established at the Gresham Hotal,

Brisbane on 16 November, 1920. The early

office was located at Longreach. Initially,

two aircraft were used; an Avro 504K and

a BE2E. The latter was purchased from a

Longreach stock and station agent, who had

experienced an uncomfortable delivery trip

in the plane and refused to ever travel in the

air again! Early flights were generally joy

rides and demonstrations until the company

secured the mail service contract between

Charleville and Cloncurry in 1922.

Paul McGinness left QANTAS in 1922 to farm

in Western Australia but times were hard.

After attempting to join the Chinese Air

Force in 1939 he re-enlisted with the R.A.A.F.

during World War II as a trainer. At the end

of the war he returned to WA as a tobacco

farmer with limited success. His health was

failing and he passed away aged 56 in Hol-

lywood Hospital, Perth on 25 January, 1952.

The McGinness Collection will be offered for

public auction at Leonard Joel, Melbourne

on 20 November at 11.30am. For more details

contact Giles Moon 0439 493 038 or email

[email protected]

COlleCTables

Middle: AIF, 8th Light Horse

Top: Wilmot Hudson Fysh standing outside early QANTAS office at Longreach, circa 1922. Note QANTAS office is the building with the flat roof

Bottom: Paul McGinness (in helmet) on a fundraising trip for QANTAS.

17 novEMBERLEONARD

thuRSDAy 1 DECEMBER

At 1PM

The WeeklY

The Weekly Auction – Viewing Wednesdays 9am to 8pm / Auction Thurdays 10am / View online at leonardjoel.com.au

The Weekly

Vincent Uoselis in his living room, circa 1960

In early December, Leonard Joel will offer

items from the Estate of Vincent Uoselis.

Items to be sold in this auction include art-

works and decorative arts collected over a 25

year period in Melbourne. At this time pieces

of great quality were often sold at estate sales

and second hand shops so the opportunities

to collect hidden treasures were much more

abundant and affordable than the present day.

Vincent Uoselis emigrated to Australia from

Lithuania after World War II and as his daugh-

ter commented “like so many new migrants

obtained work in a factory.” However, he

already held a Fine Art Degree in Sculpture

and soon after arriving in Melbourne, started

a business collecting broken ceramics from

shops and restoring them. As his reputation

grew, he started working for private clients

and also restored oil paintings as well as deco-

rative arts.

His own collecting tastes were varied,

although particular areas of interest were

Japanese ivories, English and Continental

porcelain, Old Master paintings and tradi-

tional Australian paintings. Vincent also loved

researching paintings and spent long hours

reading and investigating the paintings he

bought, working out attributions to artists and

learning of their history.

This auction will be held on Thursday 1st

December at 1pm at Leonard Joel.

A SPECIAL RED RooM AuCtIon

18 LEONARDnovEMBER

PRe OWned luxuRy

life’S little luxuRieSWhen a Leonard Joel client arrived earlier this year with four items of Louis Vuitton John Agata, Head of Jewellery, decided it was time to offer this category to our clients.

An Alzer Anglais suitcase by Louis vuittonSold $3,600A briefcase by Louis vuittonSold $3,360A hat box by Louis vuitton Sold $2,160A beauty case by Louis vuittonSold $4,080

LOuIs VuITTON AT AuCTION

We live in a world of excesses and are inun-

dated with disposable, cheap and cheerful

products. Most of us however, are looking for

substance. Quality is a thing of luxury and if

you can afford it you might just buy into the

look and feel that comes with owning special

items that aren’t readily available at your fin-

ger tips. The power of the designer brand is

to give us a sense of style and security that is

instantly recognizable to others. In this aspect

Louis Vuitton is king. Whilst often criticized

for the mass marketing of some of their prod-

ucts, they always deliver the style and quality

synonymous with their brand. Hermès on the

other hand give us a chic product, often with

little visible branding, but always of the fin-

est craftsmanship. Unlike Vuitton many prod-

ucts, such as the Hermès Birkin handbag, are

in limited supply and their clients are some-

times required to be patient on waiting lists of

up to three years.

Purchasing luxury items at auction gives the

buyer the opportunity of attaining either

products that are currently or no longer avail-

able on mainstream markets. It also gives new

purchasers of luxury the opportunity to enter

the market for a quality product at a reason-

able price.

19 novEMBERLEONARD

Australia’s resale royalty scheme commenced

for all commercial resales occurring after

June 8th 2010. According to its administrator

Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) in its first

year of operation $390,000 in resale royalties

(RR) was generated on 1,927 eligible resales

for 320 artists.

But it would seem the collecting public has lit-

tle idea of how the scheme actually operates,

except to take a cautious approach to those

artworks appearing at auction with an asterisk

indicating “RR will be payable on sale.”

Below is a quick run-through the legislation to

provide some clarification of the scheme.

1. It applies only to commercial resales – these

must be conducted by “art market pro-

fessionals” (widely defined and of course

Leonard Joel is one) which involve a trans-

fer of ownership, which is not for the first

time and occurring after June 8th 2010.

2. The Act identifies 21 separate categories

of “artworks” as well as “any other things

prescribed by the regulations”; however it

is certain that anomalies will arise in the

future. Take the example of the Mark New-

son Lockheed Lounge sold in New York last

year for $US2.1 million (refer The Lockheed

Lounge).

3. RR will only be payable for artists who are

still alive or who died less than 70 calendar

years ago. Whole categories of artworks

will be unaffected by the levy such as most

nineteenth-century paintings. As an exam-

ple Arthur Streeton passed away in 1943 –

therefore all sales of Streeton paintings after

1 January 2014 will be exempt from RR.

4. Overseas artists may also be exempt if there

is no comparable scheme in their country of

residence. The United States, for example,

does not have such a levy and artists like

Andy Warhol are exempt.

5. The threshold level for paying RR is on a

sale price of $1,000 and above. The sale

price is defined as the amount paid by the

buyer including GST but excluding buyer’s

premium or any tax payable on sale. That

is, RR will be payable on a hammer price

of $1,000 and more on eligible artworks.

(Regardless of the threshold level and other

factors determining whether RR is payable

all commercial resales have to be reported

under the Act. This has made the scheme

very unpopular in the “trade” within the

arts industry.)

6. There is no maximum cap – theoretically

if an artwork which met all the necessary

criteria under the Act sold for $1 million it

would attract RR of $50,000.

7. Artists and their estates cannot opt out from

the scheme entirely; instead if they choose

to forgo collecting RR or negotiate a lower

rate than the deemed 5% levy it must be

done on an individual sale by individual sale

basis.

8. Who pays? Either the seller or the buyer

could be liable depending on the terms of

sale. Leonard Joel has prescribed the buyer

of eligible artworks as being liable to pay the

levy in its Terms of Trade. (Which seems

fair when you consider some sellers will be

incurring losses without the added imposi-

tion of a levy).

ART BuSineSSBY MICHAEL fOx

aRT busIness

Michael Fox is a qualified accountant and

professional fine art valuer who successfully

ran the Save Super Art campaign to prevent

the prohibition of artworks from self-managed

superannuation funds (SMSFs). He is a member

of the Leonard Joel Valuation Panel and is

engaged exclusively by Leonard Joel to provide

advice to their clients in relation to artwork

investment in SMSFs. He may be contacted at

[email protected].

“speciAl cAuses MAke bAD lAw”JOHN R WALkER, SEPTEMBER 2009

thE LoCkhEED LounGEAn Australian world record price was

achieved at the Phillips de Pury New York

evening art auction in early May 2010 when

a rare Lockheed Lounge from 1988 by Aus-

tralian born designer Mark Newson, sold

for $US2.1 million, far exceeding its pre-sale

estimates of $US1 million to $US1.5 million.

1. The Lockheed Lounge is not specifi-

cally defined as an artwork under the

resale royalty legislation – it might be

better described as decorative furniture

and hence exempt from resale royalties

even though each prototype is now worth

more than $1million a piece.

2. Mark Newson is known as a designer and

not an artist – but the term artist is not

actually defined in the resale royalty leg-

islation. He has also lived for long periods

overseas meaning he also may not qualify

as a resident.

3. The United States does not have resale

royalty legislation so there would be no

royalties payable in any event (assuming

this sale occurred post June 9 and was the

first commercial resale etc).

4. In Australia there have been fewer than

ten sales of art at auction by Australian

artists that have exceeded the amount

realised for the Newson Lockheed

Lounge.

The above discussion is not meant to criti-

cise the resale royalty scheme, rather to

highlight some of the scheme’s inconsisten-

cies. The intent of the Act is honourable in

relation to providing artists a reliable stream

of income from their practice and it should

result in some positive outcomes such as

greater transparency for the art market;

however it would also be fair comment

that the passage of the scheme in late 2009

owed more to convenient politics than good

policy.

The highest resale royalty generated to date

is $40,000 – indicating that this related to

an artwork sale of $800,000 – however this

transaction has been the exception and not

the norm. According to CAL, at 31 August

2011, of the 205 artists who have been paid

resale royalties:

• 119(58%)receivedbetween

$50 and $300;

• 81(40%)receivedbetween

$301 and $5,000; and

• 5(2%)receivedinexcessof$5,000.

With 4,000 artists and their estates regis-

tered with CAL only 2% of eligible artists

have so far received any resale royalties.

This is consistent with comparable resale

royalty schemes overseas, such as Great

Britain.

Despite the above reservations from an

operational point of view the scheme has

run remarkably well in its initial period and

the Government should feel vindicated in

its decision to appoint CAL as the collecting

body early last year. CAL is well advanced in

producing a Guide to the artists’ resale roy-

alty scheme which will assist collectors and

art market professionals with their obliga-

tions in the future.

20 LEONARDnovEMBER

aRT busIness

ARt DAtAJohn Furphy has always loved antiques.

Which is probably why in 1978 he teamed

up with fellow enthusiast Max Milton to

establish Acorn Antiques in High Street,

Armadale.

With hard work and diligent sourcing of

antique furniture and collectables, over the

years the business became a household name

and much loved destination for genuine

antique collectors.

Once Acorn Antiques became a sound finan-

cial entity, John found there was plenty of

time in between running the various aspects

of the business to turn his attention to other

endeavours.

One passion he had always wanted to indulge

was the establishment of an effective data-

base for antique and collectables sales.

Despite repeated efforts, John soon found it

almost impossible to obtain sufficient infor-

mation to make the database viable.

However, while antiques were difficult, art

sale records were more readily available

and, by scouring thousands of old catalogues

back to the early 1970s sourced from auction

houses like Leonard Joel (mainly from its

weekly sales), John Furphy was able to com-

pile an effective art database.

In 1993, the Australian Art Sales Digest was

born – which started as a straight record of

sales. Gradually, improvements were added

including art market statistics, auction

results and independent reviews for both

Australia and New Zealand.

Over the years, AASD (as it was known)

became accepted as the industry bible for art

auction prices in both countries.

However, John was not content to leave

the project in only textbook form and, as

the Internet became more sophisticated,

searched for ways to provide online art mar-

ket data to art industry followers.

“I finally went online in 1997 once the Inter-

net had become more sophisticated and it

had been accepted by a sufficiently large user

base,” he said.

From there, the database expanded rapidly

and today AASD has 450,000 works listed on

the Internet.

With the increase of Internet usage, sales of

the published text have declined, so 2011 will

be its last year of production.

“From next year, AASD will be solely Inter-

net based and only available by Internet sub-

scription,” John said.

Essentially, the online art market data service

is aimed at professionals such as auctioneers

and valuers, art consultants and collectors

and its annual subscription package of $255

reflects the detailed information to which

they have ready access.

“However, for $30 a month the site is also

open to casual users such as Camberwell

Sunday market buyers, or someone who

might have been left a painting in a will and

wants to know its worth,” John said.

John Furphy has continued to use the versa-

tility of the Internet to promote his online art

market database and refine the information

he is able to send subscribers.

“We now send art auction alerts and copies

of new articles on auction items in which

they might be interested and follow up with

sales results so they can monitor price move-

ments,” he said.

In addition to establishing AASD, in 2005

John Furphy bought Carter’s Publications,

which publishes Carter’s Price Guide to

Antiques (now also on line).

And his involvement with the antique trade

continues through life membership (awarded

in 2010) of the Australian Antique Dealers

Association after filling the treasurer’s role

from 1993-2002 and president (2005-2008).

John Furphy, founder of AASD

aasd.com.au

21 novEMBERLEONARD

Subscribe at leonardjoel.com.au

look ouT foR The deCember / February iSSue.

leonard, issue 2, november 2011

Documents