Sale room: Paid for picking Cotton

By DON MILNE

What is a work of art worth? In auction terms, whatever the market is prepared to pay. It all depends on the reputation of the artist, the quality (or rarity) of the work, and the degree of buyer enthusiasm.

One local artist whose star is very much in the ascendant is Shane Cotton, born in 1964, whose powerful works over the past decade have increasingly reflected his Ngapuhi origins. Some are calling him the new Hotere, but his voice is very much his own.

His major works are not so common at auction, so there was great interest at Webb's last month when, among a plethora of Ralph Hoteres, Bill Hammonds and Louise Hendersons, three works by Cotton were offered.

The first, untitled, from 1995, estimated at from $8000 to $15,000, went for a surprising $22,000. The second, from 1999, did less well, going for $5000 (estimated $4500-$6000).

The third, Whenua Rangi from 2000, was estimated at $85,000 to $100,000. It must have made its vendor very happy when it sold for $110,000. Or, to put it another way (and taking 10 per cent buyer's premium into account), something like six times what the same work sold for at the Melbourne Art Fair three years ago.

Gary Langsford, of Auckland's Gow Langsford Gallery, took two Cotton works to that fair, both priced at $20,000. The first sold within five minutes, to an Australian collector; the second - that which fetched last month's record auction price - went to a New Zealand buyer. More recent works by Cotton, of similar size but different style, sell at Langsford's gallery for $35,000.

Has the Webb's sale set a new benchmark for Cotton? Or was this a case of an exceptional work, and exceptional buyer interest? Time may tell.

Two other works topped the $100,000 hammer price, both by Hammond ($190,000 and $160,000). Good works by him, and by Hotere, are still in demand; prices for their lesser offerings seem to have eased a little. And a serene, glowing abstract by Milan Mrkusich, painted in 1980, did very well to bring $85,000, against the estimate of $45,000 to $65,000. Demand for colonial-era art seems to have slackened a little, although good works will still command good prices.

Coming up: For those dedicated to nostalgia, Webb's will offer the vast collections of the sadly defunct Wagener Museum in Auckland from October 20 to 23, and on site at Houhora on November 2.

The 4000-plus lots make this one of the biggest sales in New Zealand history, with something for everyone, including farm equipment, firearms, butterflies, Maori artefacts and folk art, and a vast collection of chamber pots including one that plays Rule Britannia.

Dunbar Sloane has an antique furniture sale on November 4, and will sell the first part of a very big collection of Clarice Cliff ceramics from a museum in the Netherlands the following day. The remainder of the collection, which is attracting international attention, will be offered in March next year. November 6 will see a sale of rare books, many from the Elsdon Craig estate; the next art sale is on December 3. A fine Blomfield oil of kauri diggers, formerly on loan to Te Papa, will be included.

Cordys art and antiques sale, on October 14, includes an interesting Taranaki oil by G. E. Pruden and three wood-block prints by E. Mervyn Taylor - always popular buys.

Webb's affordable art sale is on November 4. The International Art Centre's next sale is on November 27.