Wieneke Archive Book 4h : Art Sales Presscuttings

FOR THE COLLECTOR Mr Barry Stern, the Sydney art dealer, with Dohell's study for "The Cypriot," for which he paid $14,000 on behalf of a client yesterday. $14,000 Dobell tops art sale A painting by Sir William Dobell, a study for "The Cypriot," fetched the top price of 514,000 at a Christie's of London art auction in Sydney last night, The 30 inch by 30 inch painting, on a wood panel, was one of three Dohells bought ;It the sale by Syd- ney art dealer Mr Barry Stern On behalf of a pri- vate collector. He said the collector was prepared to bid $25,000 for the study, which he described as a brilliant. Mr Stern spent a total of about $50,000 at the sale. He bought 19 paint- ings to resell in his gallery, and seven on behalf of col- lectors. The sale was part of the Major Harold de Vahl Rubin collection of Australian drawings and paintings. The sale, in the Went- worth Hotel, attracted about 600 people. Mr Stern said there were very few bargains at the sale. "Nearly all the prices were close to what would he paid in galleries," he said. The auctioneer, Major William Spowers, said the sale was remarkable as more than 90 per cent of the works were sold. He had expected that only about half the paint - lags would be sold as there was a very limited market in Sydney for works costing wore than $1,000. Other paintings sold at high prices at the sale, which realised more than $150.000. included "Wind and Sand," by John Pass- more, $4,000; "After the Bushlire." by John Perce- val, $4,800; "Norman S;hurcck," by Sir William Dobell. $11,000; "Girl with Hat," by Sir William Dobell. $7.000; and "Man in a Land,cape," by Sir Russell Drysdale, $9,000. Karen McAuley, 17, of Kogarah, admires two white ptarmigans, one of the six stolen porcelain groups, at the auction rooms last week. Reward for return