We’re excited to be kicking off our Sydney calendar this year with The Collector’s Auction in March, which combines decorative arts and fine art. Leading the offering is a group of animal sculptures by national and international artists that provide compelling buying opportunities. Drawing on the 19th century animalier tradition of Antoine-Louis Barye, Zimbabwaen born […]
Following their return to Australia in the 1970s, Brett and Wendy Whiteley purchased Lavender Bay house – the artist’s own paradise. Brett took new inspiration from his living room window looking out upon the visual ecstasy of Lavender Bay, which not only culminated in his iconic 1974 exhibition at Australian Galleries, but also marked the […]
Star Sapphires are a rare variety of sapphire that exhibit a magical star phenomenon known as asterism – the appearance of a pattern or group of stars – under specific lighting. The six-rayed star is most visible when the stone is tilted and rotated, and will appear to move across the rounded surface of a […]
Once upon a time, some years ago when I joined the Decorative Arts department at Leonard Joel, I was given the arduous task of polishing silverware in preparation for cataloguing. Up until that point tarnished silverware and I had not crossed paths and I will never forget how the muscles in my hands and forearms […]
This auction presents an extraordinary opportunity to delve into the life of one our nation’s best-loved artists. We recently spoke to Mirka’s son, William, about what it was like to grow up with Mirka as a mother, and also, some of his favourite pieces in the auction. MIRKA IS ONE OF MELBOURNE’S (IF NOT, AUSTRALIA’S!) […]
In this year our 100th (and I won’t deny our collective pride in writing this!) Leonard Joel is well prepared to celebrate with our clients, our industry and our friends and we look forward to a year of events and conversations with you to mark this important milestone. And in this centenary issue it would […]
Karl Lagerfeld’s death in February sparked an outpouring of praise, celebration and reverence from the fashion world. Acknowledged as one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, Lagerfeld proved his extraordinary creative flair and vision when he took over as Chanel’s Creative Director in 1983. He reimagined Chanel’s signature pieces, such as tweed […]
In February, we were honoured to be part of the official unveiling and sponsorship of artists Gillie and Marc’s compelling sculpture The Last Two on the St Kilda foreshore. The life-size sculpture depicts the final two remaining Northern White Rhinos in the wild and Leonard Joel’s sponsorship of this permanent sculpture marks our first centenary […]
This issue, we spent 5 minutes with Moi Rogers, who sees the most eclectic range of items every week in her role as Books & Collectables Manager. FAVOURITE MAKER / ARTIST The Japanese designer, Issey Miyake, is my ultimate favourite. But, I love the Japanese sensibility overall the design and practicality, the quality, sense of […]
The infamous scene that unfolded last October has gone down in art history as a classic piece of Banksy performance art. Hammering down as the last lot for the night, Girl With Balloon made headlines when it began to self-destruct, slipping down in its frame, stunning onlookers as it emerged from the bottom in shreds. […]