Hammered

A classic Don Binney, Kotare Over Hikurangi did well at the Webb’s auction last night with a winning a bid from the floor of $220,000. That put it just under the high estimate of $250,000. Most of the other feature paintings seemed to go for under their lower estimates including the Goldie. A surprise was the high price paid for Rough Crossing a 2006 painting by Alvin Pankhurst. Back in 1974 Pankhurst won the then premier national art award sponsored by Benson & Hedges (the painting is now in the collection of the Dunedin Art Gallery). Not surprising that $27,000, on a high estimate of $12,000, got the room going.