Deutscher and Hackett, ‘Important Australian & International Fine Art’ – 29 April 2026

Deutscher and Hackett were given a tough act to follow after Smith & Singer’s electric sale the evening prior brought in $21m. D&H grossed just shy of $8m in a more condensed sale with just over half as many works. 

There will perhaps be mixed emotions after this sale. There were a number of standouts although at the time of writing there are 10 works that failed to find buyers. The auction got off to a very strong start courtesy of Dorrit Black’s ‘Dorset Cottages’ (1935) which exceeded expectations, hammering for $140,000. Next came the much anticipated Clarice Beckett which sold at the low-end estimate for a very respectable $80,000. The unsigned work is more muted when compared to other examples D&H have offered in recent years.

Bessie Davidson recorded one of her strongest results to date with the stunning ‘Flowers and Books’ (c.1935) selling for $300,000 on the night. The delicate handling of the craftsmanship was certainly rewarded on this occasion.

This was followed by Kathleen O’Connor who provided a positive conclusion to the auction’s female openers. This is a relatively rare appearance on the secondary market for the artist in what is only the 5th painting to appear at auction in as many years. The painting which had remained in the same collection for over 60 years comfortably doubled the low estimate, selling for $85,000.

John Peter Russell broke the $1m threshold once again when his ‘Meules de Blé à Monte Cassino’ (c.1889) found a new home at $1.3m. This is now the fourth year in a row that D&H have presented a painting by the artist that has hammered for a seven-figure-sum, establishing themselves as the clear market leader for Russell’s work.

Brett Whiteley’s ‘Woman in a Bath 5’ (1963/4) surprisingly failed to take off. Despite having sister works in high places including Tate, London; TarraWarra Museum of Art; and the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ cherished ‘Woman in a Bath 4’, the work was sold at more than 30% below its low estimate. The other two Whiteley works in the auction were both passed in in an uncharacteristically subdued evening for the artist’s market. However, ‘2pm Light Early January 1984‘ (1984) was evidently sold post-auction with a stated sale price of $454,091 (inclusive of buyer’s premium).

Fred Williams floundered, with ‘Flooded Creek‘ (1977) and ‘Goomoolahra Falls, Queensland‘ (1971), both passed in. Serious collectors of Williams’ work may have been silent on the evening with ‘Pond in Landscape’ (1965) set for auction at Menzies in a week’s time.

Jeffrey Smart’s depiction of one of the less picturesque corners of the Greek capital steadied the ship with a $440,000 hammer price after the aforementioned Whiteley works and a Williams were passed in. One of my personal favourites from the auction, ‘Outskirts, Athens’ (1964) masterfully elevates the mundanity of the outer suburbs to a piece of fine art. The work was executed in 1964 while Smart and fellow artist Justin O’Brien were completing their first trip across Europe, which proved to be a pivotal decision as Smart would go on to permanently base himself in Italy.

Ben Quilty’s birds, burgers, and old bangers have become synonymous with the artist and his oeuvre. I would suggest there are few individuals that would wish to display an image of a greasy burger in their home, but when the subject is handled by Quilty in his signature heavy impasto, collectors seem to make exceptions. ‘The Lot no. 4’ (2009), achieved $110,000 on the night establishing the work as one of the most expensive by the artist seen at auction. Quilty’s imaginatively titled ‘Bird’ (2018) also sold later in the sale for a $31,000 hammer price.

It was a positive evening for Australian and international sculpture with strong results for works by  Bruce Armstrong, Clement Meadmore, and Bertram Mackennal as well as William Kentridge, Rodin, and Michael Parekōwhai. All performed admirably well with the Rodin the only work of the six not to exceed its high-estimate. A $120,000 hammer price marks ‘La Faunesse Debout’ as the highest price paid for a Rodin in Australia since pre-COVID times. 

From Rodin’s charm of La Belle Époque to Parekōwhai’s depiction of a Māori bouncer, the sale provided a varied display of classical, post-modern, and contemporary sculpture. 

The latter’s ‘Kapa Haka’ was originally modelled on the artist’s brother and conceived as an edition of 15. Another example is held in the collection of the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art. The life-size work took the prize for the most valuable piece of sculpture with a $260,000 hammer. The work challenges the conventional supremacy of bronze in the category with the artist’s use of industrial paint on fibreglass. 

In the latter half of a forward-weighted sale, highlights came from Albert Namatjira and Tim Storrier. Namatjira’s run of exceptional results this year, initiated by D&H’s earlier March sale was continued with ‘Quaraitnama, MacDonnell Range’ (c.1945) selling above estimate at $90,000. Storrier’s ‘Noon Blaze Line’ (c.1990) was hotly contested to conclude the sale on a positive note with the outback scene selling for $70,000 on the hammer. 

Deutscher and Hackett, as always, delivered some exceptional results, bringing a number of significant artworks to the market. Unfortunately, they could not escape the shadow of the colossus that was the previous evening’s blockbuster sale.

To view the catalogue in full click here.