SYDNEY.- The May 29th multi-vendor auction features works from over 50 private collections, including 5 works that will be sold to raise money for the Purple House dialysis clinic in Ernabella, SA.

Highlights include an early Papunya board by Kaapa Mbitjana Tjampitjinpa (Est. $15,000-20,000); a striking black and white line Yam Dreaming by Emily Kngwarreye (Est. $50,000-70,000); a major colour-field work by Christine Yukenbarri (Est.$24,000-28,000); West Australian Daniel Walbidi’s masterwork Tali and Warla (Est.$55,000-75,000); a rare fighting scene created in 1880 by Colonial artist Tommy McRae (Est.$40,000-50,000); Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri’s Larumba, Honey Ant (Est. $35,000-45,000); and Fish and Storm Clouds, as seen in the Bahmah Forest, Lin Onus’s spiritual homeland (Est.$380,000-480,000).

CooeeArt MarketPlace held its first stand-alone Aboriginal and Oceanic art auction in November 2017 after an internationally reported false start due to problems with its contracted state-of-the-art server. Auctioneer Tim Goodman coaxed bids from the 60 buyers present and a battery of phones connected to disappointed bidders who had showed up two days earlier at the swish event at Chifley Tower. A 59th minute in the hour listing through Invaluable.com drew another 40 bidders of which 24 successfully won around 35% of the sale’s 84 lots.

The sale of the Emily Kngwarreye’s Earth’s Creation I for $2.1 million was greeted by ecstatic applause, and no doubt relief, which triggered a wave of mild hysteria throughout the crowd, many of whom were solely there to witness the occasion.

The November 2017 auction achieved a success rate of 87% and 72% by value and paintings by 19 individual artists set records or were introduced to the secondary market for the first time.

CooeeArt MarketPlace is seen by many as a disruptor to the traditional auction model, particularly with regards to the buyer’s premium (just $15%), when compared to 25% on top of the hammer price through most auctions holding in-room sales.

However, according to CooeeArt CEO, Adrian Newstead, the key difference in the MarketPlace model is the level of scholarship and cultural knowledge engendered by Australia’s oldest Indigenous art specialists. “After 40 years promoting and exhibiting Aboriginal art, attracting and educating new collectors is our priority. If the Aboriginal art industry is going to continue to grow and prosper and provide jobs for Aboriginal people, we need to find new 30 somethings that get excited about it. And it is definitely worth getting excited about. It’s the most diverse, attractive and culturally important art being produced in Australia today’.

‘Cooee Art is Australia’s oldest exhibiting Indigenous fine art gallery. Our passion and commitment are entirely focused on the Indigenous art of Australia and Oceania. Our specialist resources have taken decades to build and are available free of charge to our clients - both sellers and potential buyers”.