Catalogue Foreword—Works of Art
Kia ora koutou, Together with the Art team, we are proud to present our March 2026 Works of Art catalogue, launching our 50th anniversary celebrations with a particularly special offering.
Installation view of artworks at Ōhinetahi. Pat Hanly, Protective Helmet (Lot 26) and Greer Twiss, Big Red (Lot 29). Photo by Jane Ussher MNZM.
This season features a selection of works from the private collection of esteemed architect, the late Sir Miles Warren, shown alongside masterworks by Gretchen Albrecht, Tony Fomison, Bill Hammond, Ralph Hotere, Colin McCahon, Milan Mrkusich, Fiona Pardington, Andy Warhol and more.
Sir Miles Warren (1929–2022) was one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading twentieth-century architects and co-founder of Warren and Mahoney. The practice helped define ‘The Christchurch Style’ and produced landmark buildings, including College House (University of Canterbury, 1964), the Christchurch Town Hall (1972), and the New Zealand Chancery in Washington D.C. (1981).
Lot 26. Pat Hanly, Protective Helmet, 1962, oil on canvas, 730 x 945mm. EST. $80,000—$100,000
His collection reflects the architect’s refined artistic sensibility. A fine draftsman also known for his watercolour perspectives, Warren used painting as both a professional tool and lifelong passion, often travelling in Europe with friend and artist, John Coley. His work has been exhibited widely, including in Miles: A Life in Architecture (2010) and Grand Tourist (2023). Drawing shaped his understanding of the world around him, and his collection reflects his eye for line, texture and form.
Our cover image, Pat Hanly’s Protective Helmet (1962), exemplifies this cultured outlook. Created while Hanly was working in Europe alongside British and American contemporaries including David Hockney, R. B. Kitaj and Peter Blake, the work’s ‘Bacon-esque’ qualities respond to Cold War tensions. Sir Miles' long-standing relationship with Hanly is evident throughout his collection and in the mural integrated into the Christchurch Town Hall.
Lot 24. Pat Hanly, Fire This Time, 1984, enamel on board, 825 x 920mm.
EST. $65,000—$80,000
Featured Auction Highlights
Lot 13. Lisa Reihana, Cooks Transit of Venus, 2017, pigment print on cotton rag paper, mounted on aluminium dibond behind acrylic glass, edition of 9 plus 2 AP, 760 x 1620mm.
EST. $40,000—$50,000
Lot 48. Ralph Hotere, Requiem, 1974, oil on canvas, 1220 x 1220mm.
EST. $90,000—$120,000
Lot 57. Gretchen Albrecht, Sea Screen No.1, acrylic on canvas mounted board in three-fold double sided screen structure, 1810 x 1950 x 600mm (each panel).
EST. $100,000—$140,000
Lot 53. Charles Frederick Goldie, Portrait of Te Aho o Te Rangi Wharepu, 1939, oil on canvas, 290 x 310mm.
EST. $450,000—$550,000
This season’s offering highlights deep personal and artistic connections across disciplines. The chance to acquire works with such history and connection is rare. Through Sir Miles’ eyes, we see an inherent respect for the artistic community and the productive interplay between art and architecture. Charles F. Goldie’s Te Aho o Te Rangi Wharepu (1939) reveals the trust between artist and sitter, Colin McCahon’s Floodgate I (1964–65), once owned by Rosalie Gascoigne, reflects artistic admiration and patronage that helped shape her own practice. While Ralph Hotere’s Requiem series honours his friend, composer Tony Watson, seeding an intrinsic relationship between art and music.
Lot 18. Colin McCahon, Floodgate 1, 1964-5, oil on composition board, 910 x 765mm.
EST. $240,000—$280,000
“We are also excited to extend these connections across art, architecture, fine wine and cuisine. Art patrons Sally Ridge and John Darby have generously welcomed Webb’s to Amisfield, Queenstown for the first stop in our national tour, where guests can view auction highlights from our Works of Art auction within their award-winning restaurant and cellar door. Sally and John share Webb’s passion for art and objects, and among their treasured works is Bill Hammond’s Cornwall Road Cave (2011), presented by Webb’s last July.”
Lot 58. Bill Hammond, Wishbone Ash Stash 2, Cornwall Road, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 855 x 1040mm.
EST. $360,000—$500,000
Webb’s continues to champion significant local initiatives, including Bill Hammond’s survey show Serenading Imagined Worlds (Dec 2025-Feb 2026) at Te Uru Gallery, and the fundraising auction for TOITŪ: Visual Sovereignty directed by Oscar-nominated producer, Chelsea Winstanley who is championing Māori artists on the world stage. We also celebrate the work of Webb’s Manager, Art, Dr Megan Shaw, who has been awarded a prestigious research fellowship at the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library; and of course, a major upcoming highlight for the New Zealand art scene is Fiona Pardington’s representation at the Venice Biennale 2026.
We look forward to sharing more on these ambitious projects in the coming months and hope you enjoy perusing our upcoming catalogue, offering a taste of the remarkable talent around us.
Emily Gardener
Director of Art
emily@webbs.co.nz
+64 22 595 5610
30.03.26
Works of Art | Live Auction
Featuring Works From Sir Miles Warren’s Personal Collection
Contact
Auckland
Emily Gardener
Director of Art
emily@webbs.co.nz
+64 22 595 5610
Wellington
Mark Hutchins-Pond
Senior Specialist, Art
mark@webbs.co.nz
+64 22 095 5610
Christchurch
Sean Duxfield
Specialist, Art
sean@webbs.co.nz
+64 21 053 6504
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