The Aboriginal Art sale didn’t hit the numbers Sotheby’s was hoping for of A$3.7m.
Looking at the results, there was definite drop off in interest on later sale lots. However, there was strong bidding on William Barak’s Corroboree which sold for A$504,00 against a high estimate of A$250,000.
Lot 17 by an unknown artist simply titled The Man sold for A$50,400 against A$18,000 at the top end of the estimate range.
Lot 30, Mawalan Marika’s The Milky Way exceeded the $30k high to make A$43,200. A nice showing indeed.
Not all of the big numbers were exciting successes. Jukuna Mona Chuguna & JNgarta Jinny Bent’s land claim painting was estimated in the A$80-120k range but only squeaked by with A$88,000 sale.
Lot 65 by Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi shot over the A$120k high to make A$168,000
Lot 81 by Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Awelye, hit the high estimate on the mark with A$180,000
Lot 83, Nick Mamarri Tjapaltjarri’s Tjunginpa landed right in the middle of the est. range for A$144,000.
Lot 106, Ginger Riley Munduwalawala sold The Ruined City in the Wet for A$62,400 or double the high water mark.
