Expensive, but not a record

An Auckland auction house had to back-track yesterday after claiming a record had been set for the highest price paid for a work by a living New Zealand artist.

Auction house Webb's said Bill Hammond's painting Fortified Gang Headquarters sold at auction on Monday night for $290,000, which it claimed was a record price for a piece of art by a living New Zealand artist.

But it clarified its position yesterday after Auckland art gallery owners reacted furiously to a report in the Herald. Webb's said it should have clearly stated that the record was for a piece of art sold at auction.

The Contemporary Art Dealers' Association said privately-sold works often went for more than $500,000.