KEY SINGLE-OWNER RESULTS
$982,000 (IBP) in sales
Sales by value of 171%
Sales by lot of 98%
World record price for David Bromley’s sculpture Celebration
When Leonard Joel announced several weeks ago via its digital media channels that it would be selling the third and final part of David Bromley’s private collection Face book, Twitter and leading art and design blogs were literally abuzz. It was about then that we should have known that this auction would be different at every level. Additional reporting from The Age, The Australian and a Channel 31 art series documentary on David before the auction meant that collectors and decorators from all over the country and the world were talking about the auction.
“It was probably during our Saturday pre-viewing that I realised this auction would be different. We had more than a thousand people viewing that day; unheard of numbers by auction standards! Auction day proved what I suspected. The doors opened at 10am for the auction and within an hour we had to close the doors because the triple story Victorian studio could literally hold no more! Online bidding was at record levels, prices were regularly tripling and quadrupling estimates and the room was packed with a record number of first time buyers. It was an auctioneer’s dream auction and I have David to thank for that” John Albrecht, Managing Director at Leonard Joel
David’s Chapel Street Studio Collection comprised just over 600 lots of art, furnishings, objects, items of design and utility plus all the items one would expect in a busy artist’s studio right down to colourful palettes used by David. Consistent and enthusiastic room bidding meant that the auction ran well in to the evening and during the nine hour auction some very interesting results were generated. The highlight was undoubtedly the sale of the monumental bronze sculpture by David Bromley titled Celebration which was made up of seven life size children holding hands in various moments of running and skipping. The outdoor piece sold for $54,900 (IBP) to a local collector and set a new world record for a work by the artist. Bidding duels were rampant even for some of the more unusual items. A large vintage French “HOTEL” sign that David loved sold for six times its low estimate to sell for $9,760 IBP. Of the 600 lots offered only 9 had not found buyers and the auction realised a staggering $982,000 (IBP) from an original low estimate of $470,000.
Nicole Salvo, Assistant Head of Art for Leonard Joel, commented after the auction: “This single-owner auction was literally lapped up by not just collectors but passionate private decorators of all ages. Why? I think it’s because David has a unique sensibility and aesthetic that makes sense to the onlooker. Everything in the collection was very personal to David and everything had its “spot” – when people were viewing the collection they also knew immediately what to do with the piece and where to place it in their own home or dwelling. I think in this way the auction represented a more relaxed buying environment than one normally gets in the very formulaic, traditional auction setting”.
IMPRESSIVE AUCTION RESULTS SNAPSHOT
1. LOT 353
DAVID BROMLEY (BORN 1960)
Moon Shadows
mixed media on canvas
ESTIMATE: $8000 – 12000
Sold for $16,000
2. LOT 72
ZHONG CHEN (BORN 1969)
Untitled 2009
oil on canvas
signed and dated verso
122 x 167cm
Estimate $ 5,000-7,000
Sold for $ 10,000
3. LOT 70
TWO EXHIBITION BANNERS FEATURING IMAGES BY BILL HENSON
280 x 254cm (total)
Estimate $ 600-800
Sold for $ 5,000
4. LOT97
A PAIR OF ARMCHAIRS WITH STITCHED UPHOLSTERY BY DAVID BROMLEY
Estimate $ 800-1,200
Sold for $ 3,600
5. LOT113
A DAVID BROMLEY LINEN THROW WITH DEPICTION OF A BOY AND A SMOKING RABBIT
170 x 220cm
Estimate $ 600-800
Sold for $ 2,600
6. LOT119
TOM RIPON (20TH CENTURY)
Hippopotamus
wire sculpture
70 x 100 x 130cm (approx.)
Estimate $ 400-600
Sold for $ 1,500
7. LOT 140
A LARGE SET OF INDUSTRIAL SCALES ON A MARBLE BASE
Estimate $ 200-400
Sold for $ 1,300
8. LOT 145
AN OVERSIZED HAND-PAINTED LIGHTSHADE BY DAVID BROMLEY
120cm (height)
Estimate $ 1,000-1,500
Sold for $ 3,200
9. LOT 423
A HAND-WOVEN FLOOR RUG BY DAVID BROMLEY WITH BUTTERFLY MOTIF
283cm (length)
Estimate $ 800-1,200
Sold for $ 3,000
10. LOT 226
A JAPANESE GLASS FRONT CABINET
220cm x 175cm
Estimate $ 900-1,200
Sold for $ 1,800
Leonard Joel is now seeking single-owner collections for its 2013 auction calendar.
For enquiries contact
John Albrecht
Head of Corporate & Private Collections
t: 03 8825 5619
e: John Albrecht