The Opportunity For Lawyers and Others to Auction Estate and Other Art Creates Welcome Competition and Reduced Commissions
Aimed at serving the lower North Island and providing an alternative to Wellington, September 1 sees the launch of Heritage Art Auctions, New Zealand’s newest, and only totally dedicated, Art Auction House outside of Auckland.
The auctions are being held in the appropriately named Heritage House, next to Whanganui’s Grand Hotel. The business is owned by Wanganui publisher, Henry Newrick, pictured left.
With a long-time interest in art, especially from the 19th and early 20th century, Henry has for some time seen the need for a second Art Auction House in the lower North Island, thereby giving much needed choice to vendors. Based in Whanganui, a city that has been referred to as ‘The Culture Capital of New Zealand’ Heritage offers easy access to those living in New Plymouth, Taupo, Napier and all towns south to and including Wellington.
Heritage Art Auctions will be of particular interest to the legal profession. With his background in art and access to current worldwide art auction records, Henry Newrick is able to offer a reasonably priced valuation service on paintings, prints, photographs and drawings, based on the latest data.
Furthermore, Heritage Art Auctions is pleased to offer its lowest commission rate (10% on art worth $500 or more) to any law firm selling works from either the practice or partner art collections or from the estates of clients. This ‘trade’ rate is normally available only to art or antique dealers as part of their trade activities.
This is not Newrick’s first venture into art. Growing up in Whanganui in the 1950s & 60s, surrounded by 18th and 19th century European paintings, collected by his father and grandfather (who ran the Sarjeant Gallery for 23 years), Newrick helped fund his university studies by buying and selling both art & rare books. After founding the National Business Review (NBR) in 1970, In 1973 he authored and published New Zealand Art Auction Records the first definitive guide to art values ever published in New Zealand. A new, updated version is in compilation and is expected to be published later this year.
For many years Henry also published the New Zealand Art & Antiques Yearbook an annual publication which tracked the markets. In the mid-1970s he purchased at Sotheby’s (London) 3 large, original Maori water-colours by George French Angas for the then princely sum of around £30,000 ($60,000) – which at that time would have bought a fairly decent home in Wellington. From 1978-1980 he owned Medici Galleries in Wellington.
Following his move to the UK in 1995 Newrick spent many years tracking and purchasing early New Zealand / Australian artworks which were then shipped to their respective homelands for subsequent sale by auction. This passion for hunting down and repatriating works continues to this day and some of his recent overseas finds will be featured in the upcoming September auction.
It is intended to hold 4 auctions a year, both online and ‘live’. The first ‘live’ auction will take place at 2pm on Saturday September 11th at Heritage House. The ‘live’ auction will be preceded by online bidding starting September 1 and running for 10 days. Some of the lots will terminate online and others will move into the ‘live’ auction. In total Heritage expects to offer up to 700 lots comprised of paintings / watercolours / drawings / prints (engravings, etchings, lithographs) / photographs and high-end art books.
There is special emphasis on works covering the period 1850-1950 but Heritage is also accepting art from outside this period. For example the September auction will also feature New Zealand prints and maps from the 1700s as well as quality art from the 2000s. One of the star items is a large oil painting from around the year 1600 by the Dutch artist Aert van Antum featuring the Spanish Armada in battle. It will likely be acquired by an overseas buyer with bidding from the UK and Europe. Other overseas works include a rare hand coloured Currier & Ives print of New York Harbour from 1849.
Heritage Art Auctions is currently accepting further entries into their September auction. The market is currently very strong but should there be a recession this may change. Cut off date for the September Sale is August 1. Late entries will be held for the December auction. The sale takes place in Heritage Month when thousands of visitors will be in Whanganui from all areas of New Zealand.
For a free appraisal of any material you may wish to sell please call Henry Newrick on 027 471 2242.
Henry Newrick
Heritage Art Auctions
Heritage House
136 St Hill Street, WHANGANUI 4500
P.O. Box 4085 Whanganui 4541
Website: www.HeritageArtNZ.com
PHOTOS (Below is a sampling of photos covering some of the lots on offer. Please select those that you might like to use in any proposed article and let me know the ‘number’. I will then forward JPEG files). The Spanish Armada and other selected photos will be available on Monday 28th June following a weekend photo shoot.
.1 Silverstream, 1896 – Henry Morland Gore (oil) 2. In Flanders Fields, 1914 – George Sherriff (Whanganui
Artist, born in England) – (watercolour)
.3 Town of Petre (Whanganui) 1841 – Capt Wm 4. Early Colonial – Artist unknown (watercolour)
Mein Smith (Print)
5. Mount Ruapehu (c. 1950) – Ernest Buckmaster 6. Rev. Richard Taylor – Early Missionary in Wanganui
(1848) – Oil on card – Artist Unknown
