Works of Art - Winter 2025 - Foreword
The winter 2025 edition of Webb's foremost art auction series, Works of Art offers an enviable selection of museum-quality pieces by some of the most seminal practitioners from New Zealand and beyond. In this essay, Webb's Director of Art Emily Gardener muses on some of its underlying themes, most impressive highlights and some of the essays Webb's commissioned and which will be published here ahead of live auction.
Lot 43. Ralph Hotere, Requiem (B) (For Tony), 1973-74, cellulose lacquer and acrylic on hardboard, 1150 x 900mm. EST. $130,000—$180,000
We are delighted to present our mid-season Works of Art catalogue for 2025. This offering combines all the rare privileges of working in the auction world from repatriating significant works to Aotearoa, to reacquainting ourselves with past treasures, seeing artworks in all their glory in situ, celebrating artists and notorieties, and uncovering stories that may otherwise have gone untold.
Our cover star features Ralph Hotere’s Requiem (B) (For Tony). Its seductive surface rendering and workmanship alone are enough to make one pause for a closer look; however, the story of how it came to be here is equally as intriguing.
Until quite recently, it was believed that Ralph Hotere’s series Requiem (B) (For Tony) consisted of three paintings. The artist in fact created four, one of which was bought by the Tokoroa Arts Trust in 1974. Hotere had entered the painting into the Tokoroa Arts Society’s annual art competition and won; the Trust was so taken with the work they subsequently acquired it.
The painting was never exhibited publicly following its competition debut and, due to insufficient funds for insurance, the work was loaned to the South Waikato District Council, where it hung outside the mayor’s office until now. Its recent unearthing only adds to the painting’s fascinating provenance.
As we approach Webb’s 50th anniversary next year and reflect on our history, it has been a treat to delve into our archives to research the original sales records of a suite of works that have returned to market. Of note is the breathtaking arrival of Charles Frederick Goldie’s Portrait of Te Aho o te Rangi Wharepu (1939). First auctioned by Webb’s in July 1985, the work was acquired by a private collector before being gifted to the current owners, where it has remained in their care for the past three decades. The masterpiece exudes the same aura, or wairua, as if it had freshly captured the illustrious sitter on canvas.
Lot 55. Charles Frederick Goldie, Portrait of Te Aho o Te Rangi Wharepu, 1939, oil on canvas, 290 x 310mm. EST. $500,000—$600,000
Paul Dibble’s majestic Soft Geometric Medium Comb was a private commission in 2008, which found its home amidst farmland, overlooking the shores of the Pakiri coastline. Our team visited the sculpture to capture its grandeur and met its herd, including Minxsy, the most assured and inquisitive of the flock.
Lot 53. Paul Dibble, Soft Geometric Medium Comb, 2008, bronze, 3/3, 1945 x 630 x420mm (widest points). EST. $160,000—$220,000
Decades on, portraiture by contemporary artists continues to inspire and pay homage to key figureheads. Liz Maw’s Mary is a love poem to a revered art dealer in the Aotearoa art world, echoing the European old-master tradition of portrait painting. Maw’s portraits testify to the ongoing relevance of the art of the past to the urgent present.
Lot 41. Liz Maw, Mary, 2013, oil on board, 2120 x 1090mm. EST. $60,000 —$90,000
We are honoured to work alongside the leaders that have come to define art history in Aotearoa and to share their stories. Art historian Christina Barton recalls the shocking moment when Billy Apple’s protest piece The Given as an Art-Political Statement (1979) made waves in Wellington; artist and writer Darcy Nicholas offers a touching personal account of the legacy of senior Māori artists Buck Nin and Sandy Adsett; and Robyn Kahukiwa’s record of her participation as an international delegate in the 1993 United Nations Year of Indigenous Peoples, alongside Caren Wickliffe, now a Judge of the Māori Land Court, embodies the essence of her creation.
Other auction highlights include British YBA artist Tracey Emin’s International Woman limited edition with Longchamp, and important pieces by eminent Aotearoa practitioners Bill Hammond, Pat Hanly, Chris Heaphy, Julia Morison, Jude Rae, Peter Robinson, Grahame Sydney, Suzanne Tamaki, Gordon Walters, Robin White, Brent Wong and many more.
Lot 32. Bill Hammond, Cornwall Road Cave, 2011, oil on linen, 690 x 1490mm. EST. $300,000—$450,000
Lot 63. Chris Heaphy, A Sunny Afternoon with Phar Lap on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 2016, acrylic on canvas, 1900 x 2800mm. EST. $60,000—$80,000
In visceral response to these masterworks, Webb’s is thrilled to invite Black Grace dance company to translate their emotive power across art forms into new modes of expression, movement and understanding during our Auckland Preview. We look forward to celebrating this remarkable offering with you.
The winter 2025 edition of Webb's foremost art auction series, Works of Art offers an enviable selection of museum-quality pieces by some of the most seminal practitioners from New Zealand and beyond. Live auction is scheduled for Monday 28 July, 6.30pm in our Mount Eden Gallery.
Works of Art | Live Auction
Monday 28 July, 2025, 6.30pm.
Christchurch Launch Event
Monday 14 July, 5.30—7.30pm
Christchurch Viewing Location
141 Cambridge Terrace
Christchurch Central, 8013
Christchurch Viewing Dates
Thursday 10 July, 10am—5.30pm
Friday 11 July, 10am—5.30pm
Saturday 12 July, 10am—4pm
Sunday 13 July, Closed
Monday 14 July, 10am—4pm
Wellington Launch Event
Wednesday 16 July, 5.30—7.30pm
Wellington Viewing Location
23 Marion Street
Te Aro, Wellington, 6011
Wellington Viewing Dates
Thursday 17 July, 10am—5pm
Friday 18 July, 10am—5pm
Saturday 19 July, 11am—4pm
Auckland Launch Event
Tuesday 22 July, 6—8pm
Auckland Viewing Location
33a Normanby Road
Mount Eden, Auckland, 1023
Auckland Viewing Dates
Wednesday 23 July, 10am—5pm
Thursday 24 July, 10am—5pm
Friday 25 July, 10am—5pm
Saturday 26 July, 10am—4pm
Sunday 27 July, 10am—4pm
Auckland Viewing on Request
Monday 28 July, 10am—5pm
Auckland Live Auction
Monday 28 July, 6.30pm
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