The year’s first million-dollar painting, a major work by the reliably intense John Brack, is being auctioned by Menzies this month. The vendors will be hoping that Menzies has better luck with the painting,, from 1960, than Melbourne’s Niagara Galleries which tried – unsuccessfully – to sell the work last year.
The painting, which has been with the same family since 1960, was listed as “price on application” at Niagara’s annual “Blue Chip” sale. Menzies has priced it at $900,000 to $1.2 million and ramped up the marketing. The auction cover lot has six catalogue pages devoted to it. In his essay, esteemed art historian Sasha Grishin describes it as “the key painting” of Bracks’Collins St., 5pmJohn Brack, The Wedding Breakfast, 1960, estimated at $900,000 to $1.
Jeffrey Smart, Bus by the Tiber, 1977-78, estimated at $650,000 to $750,000, being auctioned at Menzies in Sydney on March 31. The second and third most expensive works in this auction are Smart paintings that have done the rounds of Menzies over the years. Smart’s