Christmas Came Early

Things have been pretty busy lately and I haven't had the chance to do many really exciting things.  I am doing a good job of drinking as much Australian wine as I can and I'm yet to be let down by what I've found.  In fact, I just opened up a case of 2012 cleanskin Riesling from the Clare Valley which is arguably one of the best Riesling producing regions in the world.  Cleanskins are wineries that don't label their wine and sell it for a lot less than what the labeled wines in the bottle shop will go for.  The tip is to figure out who the producer is instead of buying just a blind wine.  A little bit of research goes a long way.  At $8 a bottle, it's right on par with the $26 dollar a bottle this particular producer makes with his label on the bottle.  But, not to get off topic.

Over the past few months though, I've continued my quest to find things to hang on my wall.  Since I'm approaching three years since moving here, even I'm getting a bit tired of the white walls.  Even my parents are giving me crap about the "minimalist" decor.  I've been going to auctions for the past year after finding one a back in early 2012 with a work by an artist that I've become, well, obsessed with.  Since that first auctions, I've been to probably 8-10 over the past year.  It's been pretty interesting meeting people in the art world in Sydney and it doesn't hurt that they serve the good booze at the previews.  There have always been a piece or two that I had my eye on, but I needed a good deal before I'd go all in.

I must say that the live auction requires a lot more strategy than eBay.  There's no waiting until the last minute and dropping your bid just higher than the current bid.  I've found you have to plan it better.  In all the auctions I've been two, I got truly involved in probably two bidding wars.  Both times my heart was ready to pound out of my chest.  Not having the best strategy going in I wasn't sure if I go in with a strong bid higher than the auctioneers number to scare people off or try the ebay strategy.  Wait, pounce and cross your finger.  I tried the ebay option but what I failed to realize that there's no ending time until the auctioneer says it's over.  Needless to say, despite the increased heart rate, I had to bow out.  But, like a drug, it was fun.

In that time, I saw a few Australian artists that I was drawn too.  I'm not really sure why, but it was what seems to be the best representations of modern/contemporary Art.  Granted, some of that was reaffirmed seeing works by these artists in the major art museums in Sydney like the Museum of Contemporary Art Australian and the New South Wales Art Gallery.  The art auctions I was going to were the largest auction houses in Australia because they had the best selection and the best wines.  After my failed attempts I started looking, and more importantly finding, some smaller auction houses.  And that's where my luck started to change.

A few weeks ago I booked a goGet (ZipCar equivalent) and headed up to the Central Coast to a small auction house because there was an original work by one of the artists I wanted to have on my walls.  Jasper Knight is a Sydney based artist who has started to reach the global markets.  One of the Sydney galleries around the corner from my flat was exhibiting at Art Basel in Miami last week and brought a few of his works.  Hopefully that's a good sign.  So, to the good part.  This was one of the last lots and again, I started to get antsy as the lot got close.  Based on the audience here (older) I decided to wait to see who jumped in first.  I wasn't optimistic based on the number of people talking about this artist.  So, when the lot came up I searched the room for the other potential buyers and waited.  And, the best thing happened.  No one bid.  So the auctioneer dropped the starting bid.  He said he went below the reserve the seller wanted to go and said he wouldn't go lower so I raised my paddle and waited.  Trying not to look anxious, I searched the room without turning my neck or look too excited.  The auctioneer took it to at least 5 final asks before dropping the hammer.  Finally, after 2 and a half years I was going to have something for my walls at half the price of a similar sized original work that was auctioned at a major auction house in Sydney just 4 days prior.

That was the start of the Spring auction season.  There have been probably 2 auctions a month in Sydney and most have had works by the artist that I really wanted to get an original by, Adam Cullen.  The same artists who has a hotel named after him in Melbourne that I stayed at earlier this year for that reason.  While I did go to most of them and got in a few bids, I always came up empty.  It got to the point where I was even bidding on etchings and prints.  Even though I wanted an original, because of the artists death I dropped my requirement and changed to getting something with the subject that I wanted, original, print or etching.

So flash forward to earlier this week.  An auction house was having an auction to liquidate a private collectors super fund.  The super fund is the equivalent of the 401(k) except you can invest in more than just mutual funds.  With some strict requirements you can buy art and, up until a few years ago, you could even buy wine.  Anyways, someone was ready to cash in their art collection to retire.  And, as luck would have it, there were three works by Adam Cullen.  All subjects that I wanted.  there were originals and prints, so I calculated my maximums and went in hoping.  And wouldn't you know it, no one else in the room, for the first time in all the auctions I've been to, no one else wanted the Adam Cullen's.  They were all no reserve so I went in on the original at the minimum.  And I won.  This was below my max so I had some money left that I was willing to spend on the first original.  Then the first print came up.  I grabbed the minimum and I won.  Again at the minimum.  The third came up and with a bit left on my max for the first one I jumped in.  AND WON at the minimum.  Before I knew it I had three pieces, one original and two massive artist or printers proofs by the one Australian artist that I wanted to have on my walls.  I was pretty pumped.  Now, I would have preferred a numbered edition, the artist and printers proofs do have that extra bit of exclusivity that I'm hoping don't hurt the value down the road.

The middle picture is entitled "kelly" which is probably Adam Cullen's most famous subject.  Ned Kelly was Australia's most infamous convicts.  He fashioned his own armor after he killed three policemen when he ran to the bush to hide.  The bottom image is titled "kelly hunter."  The homemade amour travels the country from museum to museum.  Despite the quick and hasty look of the dripping paint, every stroke is precise.

I was on such an auction high there was another work by an aboriginal artist, Lily Kelly Napangardi, that I've seen at a few of the larger auctions and I had wanted.  Aboriginal art is very much about story telling.  The thousands of years of the communities history are passed down through art.  This story telling is often referred to as Dreamtime stories.  Lily Kelly Napangardi was named one of the top 50 Australian artists a few years back.  She is also one of the senior law persons of the Watiyawanu community and the custodian over the Women's Dreamtime stories associated with Kunajarrayi.  Obviously an important role within the community.  So, that lot came up and I put in the minimum bid and low and behold, I won.

This piece is called "Sand Hills" and is a depiction of an area near Alice Springs.  Most aboriginal artists will not divulge the meaning behind their art as it holds their communities historical past.  It's become very important in the last few years to help protect these artists and the copyright of their art to make sure that it comes from a reputable source.  I made sure that I got a certificate of authenticity with this piece that includes a few pictures of the artist working on and holding up the finish piece.

This has been a big success for me to help build up a collection of physical works to bring back to remind me of my time here, whenever I decide to come back.  But there are plenty of more auctions to go to, so I'm in no rush.

I got the works delivered this morning and in the span of 6 weeks I'm running out of wall space.  And pretty chuffed with the deals that I got.  And I'm learning that my walls are concrete and it's difficult to hang paintings in concrete.  Time to get creative.  Until the next auction...

FACT: Live auctions are more difficult that eBay auctions

My quest after two and a half years to get something on my walls has still come up empty.  In that time, I've found two Australian artists that I'm trying to find affordable works by, but am not having much luck.  Both of the artists I'm trying to find originals (not prints) by I've come across at art auctions.  It's been an interesting experience so far.  I've attended three to date, but have come up empty each time.  After last night's auction though, I'm starting to get the hang of it and starting to see how others are getting bargains.  While not necessarily pieces that are true investment pieces because most won't be known outside of Australia, I can hopefully find some pieces to hang on my walls that represent Australian art (aboriginal and contemporary).

The one artist that seems to be a bit more available is Anthony Lister.  The problem I'm finding here is that he's starting to take off on the global scene.  Which would be good if I found out about him a year or two ago, but I'm getting to the party after the prices have started to rise.  Most of his shows seem to be in the US or in Europe which is making original works by him more difficult to find in Australia.  It doesn't seem like he's done a show in Australia in 2012, so I'm still hoping that there's a chance for that.  We'll just have to see.

The other artist that I've been searching for and want to find a piece by is Adam Cullen.  I came across him about a year ago at an auction preview and have been hooked since.  There is a chain of hotels in Melbourne who have built hotels around the works of three different Australian artists and Adam Cullen was the first project.  I stayed there back in March when I was there for a weekend for a concert.  That trip probably gave me the most hope that I might be able to find an original work by him.  I stopped by the local gallery to see if they had anything in the stockroom and was told that they were going to be having a show in July with new works.  I continued to look around in the primary and secondary markets and while I found some pieces, there weren't anything I really liked.

So fast forward to a few weeks ago, I got the email about the latest auction that had a work by Adam at a very reasonable price considering what I'd seen both currently on the market and recent sold prices.  And, I liked the work.  He's done two different subjects that I like and this was the first one that was in the right price range.  Then about a week after getting the auction catalog I got news that he had passed away.  I had been talking with a local art dealer trying to find works and knew he wasn't well, but it never came across as life threatening.  There was a huge outpouring in the local art community, even for people who didn't really like his works.  And as a result, the market for available works went out of control.

Adam Cullen - untitled (feral pig)

The expected price on the particular lot went up by 50%.  I figured I'd still go for it, but with an even smaller chance of winning.  The one lesson I learned in attending an art auction is to not drink.  If you do, sometimes you end up with something that looks like this (appropriately named "The Crash"):

Despite having top shelf booze at this event, I stayed away.  I had to wait through 250 some odd lots (including a few Anthony Lister works) until the lot I wanted.  And then the adrenaline started flowing.  There was some interest from absentee ballots so the starting bid was higher than I hoped.  I wanted everyone else to bid and drop out before I started, but no one else was bidding.  For fear that they'd drop the hammer, I jumped in only to be outbid by another absentee bid.  So I flashed my number and was again outbid.  With little room left before my time to drop out (thankful I'm sober at this point), I'm sitting alone with the current bid.  And then there's silence.  My heart is going a mile a minute while my brain is yelling at the auctioneer to drop the damn hammer already.  This would be a good price so drop the hammer already and declare me the winner.

And then, the plan unravels.  Someone on a phone throws up a bid.  I sit for a minute as the auctioneer throws the bid back to me if I want it.  And at this point I know that my eBay experience has completely failed me.  I feel like I've jumped in too soon.  I can feel everyone around staring at me, the amateur.  I sit tight for what was probably 10 seconds, but felt longer and I threw up my bid card as two others in the room did as well.  The auctioneer gave the bid to me as an active bidder previously.  Neither of the other two people seemed keen to go higher so I was feeling better, but still not confident.  Then, the phone bidder sent the dagger.  Upped me one past my max bid.  The auctioneer threw it back to me but I had to tap out.  Maybe if I went through a few bottles of champagne waiting I would have continued, but thankfully didn't.  There were a few smaller bids between the phone duo and when the hammer dropped, I was again without anything to hang on my walls.  Bummer.

I haven't given up yet, but it's not looking good.  I'm just hoping that his estate has a stock pile of works that he had been working on and hopefully they make it into some galleries at some point.  His estate is going through with a previously committed show up in Singapore, but the only piece I liked from that show is already sold. To an Australian collector no less.

I'll just have to hone my live auction skills in hopes I come across another original.  Until then, I'll just have to continue with the minimalist white wall theme in my apartment.