Brett Whiteley (1939 –1992) was an Australian artist highly influenced by Vincent van Gogh and post-war artists such as Francis Bacon. He is best-known for his Avant Garde style. Whiteley attended The Scots School, Bathurst and The Scots College, Bellevue Hill. In the beginning, Brett’s works can be categorized as abstract, but gradually he moved on to more a more figurative style of Expressionism. He created unusual compositions with intense colors in various styles. His best-known works of the 1960s included a series of paintings inspired by the British mass murderer John Christie and series of Expressionist landscapes. Whiteley had many shows in his career, he traveled and painted extensively in Italy, England, Fiji and America and his works are in the collections of every major museum in Australia and some in other countries. Whiteley was made Officer of the Order of Australia in 1991. Whiteley won the Archibald Prize for portraiture twice, in 1976 and 1978. It’s one of Australia’s most prestigious art awards. He won in 1976, “with his painting ‘Self portrait in the studio,’ marking a turning point for the prize. The self portrait is seemingly reduced to the artist’s face reflected in a hand-mirror within the vast expanse of the blue of his studio and its collection of objects,” writes the Art Gallery of New South Wales. “Whiteley followed this win with an even more expressive work in 1978: ‘Art, life and the other thing,’ a triptych that explored three issues — the status of photographic representation in portraiture, the Dobell controversy and the representation of Whiteley’s own battle with heroin addiction.” (The Dobell controversy pertained to another winner of the Archibald who had broken with tradition by painting a portrait in an unconventional style in 1943.)Whiteley is also well known for a series of paintings of his wife in the bath and landscapes of the Sydney harbor.The auction house Menzies will feature seven of his artworks at its “Our Current Catalogue” sale on August 9 in Sydney. Here is a performance analysis of Whiteley’s artworks in the auction market:1. Sales Trend in the Past 20 YearsThe artist had banner sales in 2007 and 2014, with totals of nearly $12 million each year.In 2007, Whiteley’s second and third biggest sales were registered. That year, “Olgas for Ernest Giles” was the most expensive Australian painting sold at auction for $2.4 million and “Opera House” for $2 million. Between 2008 and 2009, his total sales remained at $2.6 million (each year) which could be attributed to a significant share (35 percent) of artworks being sold in the price range of $5,000 to $10,000.But in 2014, his sales totaled $11.8 million, bolstered by the sale of "Gauguin" and "Arkie under the Shower" at the auction house Menzies where the works fetched price over $1 million.2. Volume of Artworks on Offer vs. Bought-in RateWith 2007 being a record-setting year for the artist in terms of sales, it was also the year when the lowest bought-in was registered at 4.2 percent (or, only 3 lots remained unsold) over the period of ten years. The bought-in rate reached the peak twice, in 2008 at 42.6 percent and in 2012 at 43.6 percent.Some of his highest estimated works like “Sloping up on the Olgas (I) (with Crow)” (high est. $1.2 million) and “Young kookaburra taking its first laugh” (high est. $725,970) remained unsold, which affected Whiteley’s total sales in the year 2012.In the past four years, however, there was a downward trend in terms of the bought-in rate, as the graph below shows, which reached 13 percent in 2017. The sales was registered at a low of $6.8 million (refer section-1).3. Bought-ins by Auction HousesThe graphic below represents the artist’s lots and bought-in rates at the top two auction houses. Overall, the lots offered at Menzies were high and the bought-in rate was registered low as compared with that at Sotheby’s.4. Average and Median Sale Price Trend in the Past 20 YearsThe average and median prices in 2012 were at all-time highs — $296,807 (average price) and $70,809 (median). The average and median prices of the artist have been going down after reaching a peak in 2012.5. Highest-Priced ArtworksWhiteley’s highest ever sale was “My Armchair,” painted in 1976 and signed and dated lower right: “Brett Whiteley 1976” inscribed upper right: “interior at Lavender Bay under sunlight,” which sold for $3.7 million at Menzies Important Australian and International Fine Paintings and Sculpture Sale in South Yarra on October 31, 2013.“Olgas for Ernest Giles” was his second highest sold work; it brought in $2.4 million in 2007 at Deutscher-Menzies.“Opera House,” an oil work on canvas that also included cardboard, collage, shell and ink on board, was painted in 1971-1982 and fetched $2 million at Sotheby’s Woollahra in 2007.6. Price Band in Which His Works Have Sold in the Past 10 YearsMost (32.4 percent) of his works sold in the price band of $10,000 to $50,000; followed by 22.3 percent, sold in the range of $5,000 and $10,000. Very few of his works (18 lots) sold for more than $1 million in the past 10 years. 7. Where His Works Have Sold the Most in the Past 20 YearsAbout 40 percent of Whiteley’s sales occurred at Menzies in the past two decades; followed by Sotheby’s at around 30 percent.In terms of volume, while over 41 percent of the artist’s work is being sold at Menzies and Sotheby’s, a significant 30.2 percent is being sold at other auction houses. 8. Top Selling Media in the Past 20 YearsWhiteley’s oil paintings represent the best return with $83 million for 259 lots. http://www.blouinartinfo.comFounder Louise Blouin
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