Art Market Report: Webb's Works of Art - August 2027
Webb's Works of Art sale in Auckland on 24 August 2026 delivered $1.27 million including buyer’s premium and two new artist records — Jeff Thomson's corrugated iron elephants and John Drawbridge's monumental Aurora . Fiona Pardington's bird photographs took flight with one determined phone bidder, while Philip Clairmont's Folding Chair tripled its 2017 auction price to reach $180,000.
The Works of Art sale came hot on the heels of a single vendor sale held by the company just a few weeks earlier. This collection was the third divestment from a Wellington collector whose previous auctions in 2021 and 2022 during the most recent peak of the art market set numerous auction records including the top price at the time for a Bill Hammond. The most recent sale Zoomorphic Lounge was a great success, turning over $2,600,000 hammer and the top price taken by the auction’s namesake painting again by Hammond, realizing $1,350,000.
There might not have been a blockbuster Bill Hammond in this sale, but the Works of Art catalogue still had four early examples on offer. The market has seen a steady flow of ‘pre bird’ 1980s and 1990s paintings by the artist which often feature cartoon like figures, geometric shapes and unusual substrates such as copper, wallpaper or metal. Previously considered less desirable than the signature Hammond imagery, this period is gaining collectors and most of the recent examples going through auction have sold. In this sale, Wake Up (Lot 15 ) and Hard Work (Lot 16 ) both realised $19,000 and $20,000 respectively.
Interest has continued in the work of the M?ori Modernists, with good examples of paintings from the 1950s to the 1970s being quite hard to come by and therefore well contested at auction. Paratene Matchitt’s Te Whanau a Apanui (Lot 8 ) (the title references his tribe from the Eastern Bay of Plenty) dating from 1964, had very good interest from an online and absentee bidder to push the work above top estimate to realise $28,0000.
A sophisticated kowhaiwhai painting by Sandy Adsett (a contemporary of Para Matchitt) which dates from the 1970s was striking in its controlled placement and use of colour. Pangoma Kokowai (Lot 7 ) sold for $20,000, however an equally as nice work which dates to this year Tureia (Lot 6 ) 2026 was sold subject at $16,000. Compositionally it was similar to the companion lot, but it shows that the buyer interest lies in the defining original works rather than something similar produced at a later date.
Contrary to my earlier market reports regarding the robust market of Robyn Kahukiwa, the two paintings in this sale failed to fire. The oil painting Nga Tamariki a Tane (Lot 18 ) represents quite tough subject matter, both in its narrative and imagery and although Kahukiwa is acclaimed for her strong political stance in her artwork, these paintings can be more difficult commercially. The smaller watercolour Pikau (Lot 19 ) was a very appealing work, but the estimate expectation may have been on the high side as this also went unsold.
A highlight of the night was the result for contemporary photography. A very large diptych by Yvonne Todd Female Study (Gold) (Lot 22 ), really dominated the viewing. Hung vertically it measures 3m high, the large scale of the two photographs, lifted the intensity of Todd’s unsettling female figure. The work had interest from the phone and internet to realise $26,000.
Then a run of bird themed photographs from various stages of Fiona Pardington’s career really took off with one buyer collecting three consecutive works via the phone. They paid over the estimates for all examples with the large open wings Pihipihi (Lot 25 ) selling for $46,000 (low estimate was $40,000). They also acquired Tominiko’s Male Huia in Flight (Lot 26 ) for $37,000 and Wahi / Fear Kakapo (Lot 27 ) for $22,000. The top price in this section was an incredible $30,000 for The Children of Punaweko (Lot 23 ), an image produced just last year and un-editioned according to the catalogue. The low estimate was $8,000.
Two bidders in the room competed for Philip Clairmont’s Folding Chair (Lot 29 ) which edged in just over the low estimate to sell for $180,000. The Clairmont market, although small, has discerning collectors and the price increase from when the work was last sold in 2017 for $55,000 was impressive.
There seems to be no end for the buyer appetite for sculpture by Paul Dibble, whose works constantly sell well on the secondary market. From small maquettes to monumental outdoor sculptures, there is collector for all. A quick check of the AASD results shows that in 2025 alone, of the 27 sculptures offered, just 3 went unsold. This auction included four pieces; two small figurative works, both a desirable figurative form, Untitled Standing Model (Lot 41 ) sold for $18,000 and Quiet Space Model 2 (Lot 42 ), realised $17,500, both over their low estimates. A much larger work Monument to Explorers (Lot 43 ) was repatriated from a collection in Australia. One would hate to consider the shipping costs for such a work, happily for the vendors it had a good amount of interest on the night selling way over its reserve to make $57,500.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the amazing Jeff Thomson elephants in the sale (Lot 64 ) which were a welcome inclusion in the viewing. It’s fortuitous that Webb’s has such a large viewing space as the two 3 metre elephants claimed a large amount of wall. Thomson is a popular NZ sculptor who has pioneered the use of corrugated iron to create a huge variety of sculptures with a New Zealand feel. It’s not often that a work in an auction catalogue is whimsical and amusing, but this lot certainly bought a smile to the face of those viewing the sale. The elephants were sold subject on the night and later transacted for $30,000 setting a well deserved auction record for the artist.
A very pleasing result on the night was the very strong result for Aurora (Lot 58 ) by John Drawbridge who was hugely significant art teacher in Wellington for many decades. Despite the significant output of his work through painting, printing making and murals, I’ve always felt the prices for his work on the secondary market could be higher. This monumental work, measuring almost three meters in width had a mesmerizing oscillating band of hot red, orange and yellow made up of intense dots in a violet colour plane. Multiple phone bidders started strong at $36,000 before someone entered a knockout bid at $45,000, and then a new bidder entered at $47,500. The work sold to the internet for $51,000 and set a new auction record for the artist.
At the close of the auction, there were a few near subject bids for the Webb's team to work with and finalise by phone. The Auction total on the night was $1,271,106 (incl. BP) and cleared 45% by lot. Combined with the earlier result of the Wellington collection earlier in the month the Art Department at Webb’s has turned in a very solid result.
All prices quoted are hammer NZD$ unless otherwise noted.
Article originally published on www.aasd.com.au and reproduced here with thanks