Iconic Whiteley nude to be sold
Published June 16th, 2007
Entries Close 29 June 2007
An iconic nude by the celebrated Australian artist Brett Whiteley has been consigned to fine art auction house Bonhams & Goodman for auction on 7 August in Melbourne with a pre-sale estimate of $1.4mil-1.8mil.
The large oil depicts the artist’s wife, Wendy, sun-baking on Sydney’s Bondi Beach reading the novel, Justine by the modernist writer Lawrence Durrell. The painting was exhibited at the Whiteley Studio, the museum established in Surrey Hills, Sydney to mark the life and work of the artist until it (the picture) was sold privately by the Whiteley estate in 2004.
This important painting is appearing at auction for the first time having been consigned by a private Sydney collector. Justine is expected to break the auction record for a painting in this genre by Whiteley or by any other Australian artist.
The 7 August Bonhams & Goodman auction will be the most significant sale conducted by the London based firm in Australia. Also included is one of the most highly celebrated paintings by James Gleeson consigned from the Agapitos/Wilson Collection and three major works by Albert Tucker, widely considered to be the fastest appreciating artist in the current market.
National Head of Art at Bonhams & Goodman, Geoffrey Smith said, “The Whiteley is an icon of 20th Century Australian art and we are delighted to have been appointed to conduct the sale. We have discovered further significant works in Australia and abroad also to be included. This will be the most important sale conducted by the company to date in the wake of our highly successful inaugural Melbourne sale in April.”
Bonhams & Goodman is considering selected entries for this auction until 29 June.
