Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 2 : French Art Exhibition and Rubin Gift, March - May 1959

PICASSO NUDE FETCHES £55,000 AT SOTHEBY'S HIGHEST PRICE EVER PAID FOR LIVING ARTIST'S WORK By TERE:VCt: MUU,,11,f A STUDY of a nude wom,111 by Pica so, doted 1905, was sold !or £55,000 JI Sothcby's yc~1crday. I believe this to be the hig h e t price ever paid al auction I r the work of a livini: artis t. The srcvious rel-ord was also for a PI 3 SO a nd was establishe ill the Parke-Bernet Gallene , New York. last NO\'Cmbcr, when a mother and child by h im obl ined appr0Kima1cly ( -1,000. The picture sold yestcrd 1s well known from many books on Picasso, and in 1918·39 was cxhlbi1ed at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. 1nl~cf~o:i1:1rfr~ 0 n~ n~n~~rficr':, :::::! J"1inted. I ha••• nnt confirmed this, but I undors1and 1h,11 sho rtly •flcr the IJst war. it ch•n11cd h•nds for £6.()00. FOR QUEENSLAND Surprise of Sale Yes1crd•y's seller was l\1Jior H. de Vdhl Rubin, ,1nd It wd~ bouahl by the A~cnt-Gcncral for Queens• l•nd, ac1lna on behalf of 1he Queensland Arl Gallery. One of the sur~rlsc of the sale wJ when the Quccnsl•nd Arl GJllery bou~ht mo I of 1he more de lr, ble of M•lor H. de VJhl Rubin's r,lc1ures. M•lor Rubin 1s himself a resi• dent of Brlsbdne. H I~ IZ works 1n the s.ile brouRhl in no les, 1han £10~.240, But 1hev formed only a ,mall po1r1 of the ~le which to1alled £394,513. These 101als Jrc In themselves re• m,1rk,1blc ennuiih. .:1lthou11h they Include a few plc111ru -.·hk h fJllcd to fetch hlah reserves. But 1hc rc,1lly nn1ewnr1hy thln11 ls th111 m,rny comr,,tr,11 h'cly minor works fc1ched hlah rrkc,. Q\'er JO pic1urcs cnmmJndcd be· tween ll.000 ,1nd CS,000, and JI nnc r,olnl In the s.1le, it served lo t,reJk 1hc mnno1o ny when ome• thina "'cnl for le.~ than (1.000. THIRD HIGHEST BID S1udy hy D~gus Nol only d id the Quccnsl1nd Art Galler)' make the dJ ·s hl11hnt bid, hul they Jlso mJdc the third hl~hesl hid in order 10 ensure that the D•"·" s1udy of three d,1nccr~ sh uld slaY In AuslrJll,1. 1 his be,1111 lful 11alntln11. whlth measures 201n. by 241n.. cost them (Z2.000. Jnd wJ, ,cnt 1n by Mr. Pc er 1'111· MlllwJrd. In J ~cn1c, even more •ur r1una W,I> he bid nf n ,ooo, •nd (WO had< of £ 1.800. which c urcd 11n)' oil ,ketchc by C u nnc. The • \'Cl'Y h,1<111)' executed llt llc , Sludle. nic•,urc only 6 1n. h)• 8i ln. Jnd rnn. b)' 61n.. ,ind s,n. by ;1fn. £12,000 FOR PISSARRO New York luy~r P,,ul Rosenber • •nd Co.. the New York deJlen, u,•e ( 12 000 for •n c•rl)' P,,,.,.rro l•nd c,1pe d•1lna from 1868. Ano1hcr cw York firm 1h•1 did well w• Hir chi and Adler. "'ho obt•lncd • Sisle,· of the 1unc1lon o f 1he l.o na •nd 1hc Seine for {11 .,00. 801h nic• lure, ,..,c 1hc prc,pcrl)' nf Mr. Georwc f. Gould, who, 11kt the bui crs, cnmc< from cw Ynrk. Iii~ n•lnt in~ of Zinn1o1< by Fnn1 ln,l.,11011r ,11•0 d id well. h w•• Jcqulred by Toolh. for U .000. Mr. Eric E,1erlck bouah1 ,1 G,1uauln l,1nd\C,1pe , •l~ncd and d,t1ed 'K4. fnr £9. '>00. ,tnd • P,arl< de,1lcr 11.1ve £8,'>00 for a fu ,1n Gri• p,1in1ed hc1..·een JQIO ,1nd 191 8. ' A o,m lcul,1rly hucrc, tlna hl,I "'" lhJI nf u ."00 whlrh ,ccured • 1rllln of I llli , This I, ,rn e~cep1lnnalh h,~h price for ,l 1rllln of 1lt1, d,11r . 11 "'" ,1IM1 in1crc,1 in1 to ,cc nlc111ro b)' Gcrm,tn .,nd Au<trl,1n .tr11,1, ef\mm,,ndlnct cnod hid<. A " " ~" chk,1 m•de 0 .000, while r o n•~I•• of Kirchner obtained £2.600 •nd £2.400. Other lots acquired by 1hc Oueen<lnnd Art G•llery Included • sm,111 Renoir oil , ketch of two child he,1<ts Jnd ., P1c,1 so wJICr• colour ,1nd .1 d r,1win!l by him In coloured w,1sh and 11011achc. The Renoir m,1de £7 .000. while lhe f\rsl of 1he PI ,, so's made H.000 and the second £,1,200. Turnln11 1n 1hc other prQpcrlies. Dr. F. N,11han. of Zurich. r•ld £12,000 for a C~unnc ,clf.par1rall. the prnpcr1y of Baron C. E. lans<en. Thi• nmrcllln11 Porlrall mc,1sures llln. t,v IOln. II was rainted clrc, I RRJ ·B . A C~t.,1nnc , t ud.Y of five peJch" on a ledae wa • houaht b• 1he London dc,1ler, Mr. H. ElnslCm, ac1l n11 on behalf o f ~ r,rlva10 cul• lcctor. for L 17,000. The mo•I recent of the e~h ib ll lons In which 1, hil!i hct" seen w r In O Ii !n 19,•1, II mtd<ure< !Ol in. bv ll(ln..