Art Market Report: Art + Object - Important Paintings & Contemporary Art, March 2026
Art + Object’s first 2026 auction delivered strong results despite global uncertainty from the Iran conflict. The sale of 81 lots achieved new record prices and overall, the auction showed robust demand for quality New Zealand art, especially sculpture.
Art + Object’s first sale of 2026 was a generous offering of 81 lots with a heavy emphasis on sculpture, an area that A+O has carved out a niche in successfully handling, often achieving more than retail gallery prices.
Unfortunately for those wanting an iconic Barry Lett bronze dog sculpture, there is no retail market so buying at auction is the only option. Strategically placed at lot 1, Dog (Lot 1 ), had not been offered the secondary market before, and with its cute, compact block form, looking more like a crocodile than a dog, it generated stiff competition from the buyers. Multiple parties were engaged from the low estimate of $6,000 before the hammer came down at $11,500 to an internet buyer.
A notable feature of the A+O sales is the catalogue cover which is always an interesting and unexpected choice. Sometimes, it’s not even artwork included in the sale. In the previous auction, the sale of the collection of the sculptor Greer Twiss, the cover photograph was an image of the artist’s studio. In this auction, prime spot went to a classic photograph by iconic New Zealand photographer Ans Westra. The square format image, taken on her twin lens Rolliflex camera in 1964, was a striking choice, the Maori children of Whanarua Bay, East Cape (Lot 4 ) looking straight at the camera with the misty clouds and landscape behind. It’s a powerful image and it resonated with collectors, selling for $4,500 to the phone.
Francis Upritchard is one of New Zealand’s few true international artists. She studied in New Zealand as an art student but has lived in London for decades and has gallery representation in London, New York and here in Auckland. Upritchard is a multi-discipline artist but the pieces that have found the most success on the secondary market are her delicate figural sculptures. The work consigned to the Art + Object auction, Future Thinker (Lot 18 ) sat atop of a Martino Gamper shelf. The renowned contemporary furniture designer is her husband. Bidding for the work started at $19,000 in the room and had immediate engagement from at least two parties. When the bidding slowed and it looked to be sold at $35,000, but a new bidder jumped in and on it continued to reach $51,000 and a new record price for the artist.
A run of large-scale sculpture lit up the auction room, when three pieces by Terry Stringer and Paul Dibble, all from the same collection, blew through their estimates. Two sculptures by Terry Stringer comprising one work titled Intercut Artist and Model and Intercut Child and Reaching Hand (Lot 17 ), took the prize for the longest lot to sell on the night when the bidding went mostly in $1,0000 rises from $50,000 to the final sale price of $128,000. Add in some quick mental arithmetic for the auctioneer when the phone bidder decided to throw some random bid amounts into the mix, it was a huge price for a Terry Stringer whose previous top price at auction was $65,000.
It was a similar situation for Paul Dibble’s Between Two Islands (Lot 19 ) which engaged multiple bidders online and via old fashioned absentee bidding to land a price above top estimate. The market has been responding favorably to these more solid, balanced works by the artist which reference exploration and navigation. The sculpture realized $225,000 against a low estimate of $140,000. And finally, the monumental unique sculpture titled The Unfolding (Lot 20 ), also by Dibble which dominated the auction room in the viewing due to its scale and substantial form, collected a new auction record for the artist when it was bid to $310,000, a top price for the artist and for the sale.
A Rita Angus painting, dating c.1965, purchased by the vendor at the time, made its first appearance at auction. Rita Angus oil paintings infrequently come to market, although in the last decade there have been a handful of the moonlit studies and landscapes, a theme that preoccupied her in later years. This painting Moonlight, Thorndon (Lot 36 ) was the best of these examples, with a view over houses, from the artist’s garden. The lot was delayed, as the phone table was unable to connect to the telephone bidder. From my previous auction house experience, I can attest that there is nothing more stressful than being unable to contact the one bidder who has made it very clear during the viewing that they want to buy the painting. After several attempts, the lot could no longer be held and the bids commenced with a solid climb upwards between online and a room bidder, who was successful at $280,000, midway between the estimates. With uncanny timing, the auctioneer’s phone rang as the hammer came down – ‘that’ll be the phone bidder’, he said wryly.
A suite of three paintings by C.F Goldie, went unsold on the night with bids referred to the vendor on two, but a long way under the estimates. Although the Goldie market is generally fairly solid, recent results across the market show that the entry point for bidding does need to be set at a level to engage buyers, although this can be easier said than done when dealing with vendors who have seen the significant price rises in the market and may aspire for top dollar.
Two paintings by Max Gimblett both fared well, with Golden Throne (Lot 65 ) in the classic quatrefoil shape with gold leaf, selling high at $31,000. By comparison, the less typical Endless – After Shih T’ao (Lot 55 ) in a square format was relentlessly pursued by an online bidder who was competing with an extremely high absentee bid of $85,000 against a low estimate of $55,000. I’m sure the absentee bidder was confident they would not have to pay their top bid, let alone get outbid, but at $90,000 the result was the second highest for the artist at auction.
And finally, a quiet and understated work had one of the most pleasing results of the sale. Only four works over two decades have been offered by Manos Nathan, a pioneering Maori potter who created a ceramic tradition melding traditional forms of sculpture and woodwork. An estimate of $3,000-$6,000 was quickly surpassed by room and internet bidders. The original room bidders who were keen, knowledgeable collectors were bitterly disappointed to stop at $9,800, but a new bidder entered with one solitary bid at $9,800 before the lot was won by an internet bid at $10,000, setting another new record.
The sale total of $2,216,938 incluuding buyers premium was supported by significant individual results as the overall clearance rate by lot sat at about 55%. As is often the way in an uncertain market, the top end can remain robust as those who have the capacity to buy at that level tend to be more insulated to the variances of the economy. Art + Object should be commended for a great result in very uncertain times.
All prices are in $NZ and are hammer price unless otherwise noted.
Article originally provided for www.aasd.com.au and reproduced here with thanks