Bowerbank Ninow invites entries for Auction N5

Bowerbank Ninow invites entries for Auction N5

Entries are invited for Auction N5, our first auction of 2017, which will be held Wednesday the 5th of April at 6:30pm. This auction will focus exclusively on photography, and will be accompanied by a catalogue containing an extensive section of essays by leading New Zealand art writers and historians. Our last photography auction achieved a sell-through rate of 78%.

The catalogue is already shaping up to be a fleshed out survey of New Zealand photography. In addition to works by international photographers such as Cindy Sherman and Henri Cartier-Bresson, early consignments include works by Jane Zusters, Rhondda Bosworth, Glen Busch, Roberta Thornley, George Silk, Peter Peryer, Tom Hutchins, Max Coolahan, Ian McDonald, Ans Westra, Gil Hanly, Les Cleveland, Brian Brake and Jae Hoon Lee, among others.

Above: Peter Peryer, Erika, c. 1978, silver gelatin print, 505mm x 406mm

The Peter Peryer image is from the 2001 exhibition Erika: A Portrait by Peter Peryer at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, curated by Justin Paton. Erika looks out at the viewer with pursed lips, her expression difficult to read: is she concerned, disappointed, sad, or merely querying, attempting to gauge our response even as we struggle to read her face? This image shows many of Peryer’s strengths as a photographer, such as his knack for composition and his attention to small details like the suit coat and the brooch which Erika wears. Applied to a portrait, Peryer’s unique style results in an enigmatic, powerful image.

Jane Zusters, Lawrence Aberhart, Kamala and the Hammond boys, 1976, silver gelatin print, 140mm x 225mm

We have been fortunate to obtain a wide selection of New Zealand historical photography. From the Burton Brothers, an important late-19th century photographic studio, we have a photograph of the Waimakariri river from Arthur Burton’s travelling darkroom, as well as one of the studio’s charmingly eclectic promotional photomontages. Two images from the album “Views of the Westport Colliery Co, Westport” by Henry Lock, show the Denniston incline cableway, constructed in 1879 to transport coal half a kilometre vertically down to the railhead—a significant feat of engineering. Also of note are photographs by Arthur Northwood, James Bragge, Henry Gaze, George Valentine and Samuel Heath Head.

Rhondda Bosworth, Self-Portrait 2, 1985, gelatin silver print, 200mm x 250mm

Auction N5 continues our policy of paying a voluntary resale royalty of 2.5% of the hammer price to any living New Zealand artist whose works we sell at auction. This royalty is funded by the proceeds of our buyer’s premium, and thus does not result in any additional cost for either the buyer or seller of the work. We are the first and only art business in New Zealand to institute such a policy. At present, Bowerbank Ninow has paid, or is in the process of distributing, over $13,000 in royalties to artists.

The deadline for consignment is the 7th of March, and catalogue space is limited. To discuss the placement of artworks into Auction N5, or any other future auctions, please contact Charles Ninow or Simon Bowerbank for a free, no-obligation appraisal.

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