Well priced, good quality pictures by established artists proved popular at the Bay East Art Auction, held at Bonhams & Goodmans’s Waterloo premises on Sunday 29 June.

One of the highlights of the sale were the bird paintings by Neville Cayley Junior, which were hotly contested. Lot 108, a watercolour titled Group of Five Parrots, had a fascinating provenance, having been created for the 1931 publication ‘What Bird Is That?’, and held in a private collection ever since.

Three phone bidders fought for the lot, which was eventually knocked down for $9000 (including buyers premium), against an estimate of $1,200 to $1,800. Other works by Cayley in the sale also did extremely well, greatly exceeding their estimates. Other highlights included Terrace Houses, a work by Sali Herman, which sold for $13,800 (IBP), tripling its lower-end estimate, and an ink and wash drawing by Brett Whiteley, which sold for $13,200 (IBP).

Bonhams & Goodman will hold the next Bay East Art auction on Sunday 21 September at its Bay East premises, 224 Young Street, Waterloo, NSW.

Posted: 07|5|08 at 10:18 am. Filed under: Australia.