A trio of Brett Whiteley artworks that formed the core of the late Ron Walker's valuable art collection have been passed in at auction.
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Auction house Smith and Singer had estimated Whiteley's Her (1967) could fetch up to $2.4 million, with Not I – Me 1967, and Reclining Nude (1978) each worth up to $1.5 million.
But bidders at the auction in Melbourne Wednesday night barely nudged the selling price towards the reserve, and one by one the artworks were passed in.
The collection "represents one of the most significant and focused private collections of Australian art assembled in the last 50 years," according to Geoffrey Smith from the auction house, with the "exemplary compositions" by Whiteley at its centre.
However, other artworks by Australian artists Charles Blackman, Sidney Nolan and John Olsen well exceeded upper-price estimates.
There was sustained bidding for Blackman's Japan Suite I (1981) which carried a low expectation of $10,000 but sold for $30,000.
The artist's Horse and Rider with Dog (1974) had been expected to fetch at least $15,000 and went under the hammer for $42,000.
A "shimmering and brilliant" impressionist work by one of Australia's most prominent landscape painters, Elioth Gruner, also sailed past its upper estimate.
Gruner's Spring Morning, Middle Harbour (1913) was listed with a low expectation of $250,000 but eventually sold for $390,000.
It's a masterpiece of Australian Impressionism and full of the artist's characteristic quiet poetry, according to Smith.
The idyllic scene is from an era before Formula One racing: Walker was instrumental in winning the rights to the Australian Grand Prix for Melbourne, with the first race held in 1996.
Walker also developed Crown Casino in the city after co-founding Hudson Conway property group in 1976.
A former Lord Mayor of Melbourne and long time national treasurer of the Liberal Party, Walker died of cancer in 2018.
Australian Associated Press
