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Lot 10: NIGEL BROWN - The Prodigal Son, Polyptych

Est: $8,000 NZD - $12,000 NZDSold:
International Art CentreAuckland, New ZealandOctober 23, 2019

Item Overview

Description

Oil on canvas - Signed & dated 1997 A letter from the artist to Paul & Kerry Barber reads: I’ve always admired Bruegel’s version of this story which is an example of someone taking a biblical story and doing it on their own terms. From their own background and experience. I’ve done the same. I enjoyed it as a linked sequence of canvases. Leaving the parents encountering the world, coming back to NZ values and traditions and a little bit wiser after sampling distractions and vices! Sort of rites of passage / of growing up. Nigel Brown, 1999 The eternal parable set in the thriving Sky Tower metropolis of the South Pacific. During 1997 the artist was making regular trips between his home in Sandringham and the Glassworks Studio in Mt Eden, where he was working on the stained glass windows for Auckland Cathedral - a commissioned project that had been occupying him since late 1993. The tedium of driving perhaps relieved by the sprawling panorama of Auckland. The ever observant artist’s eye focusing on the central rising casino sky tower, like a black crucifix or the petrified pillar of Sodom. Just as the great centre window in the Cathedral celebrates the biblical myth of salvation, Prodigal Son likewise testifies that no amount of casino corruption will ever completely eclipse the values of love and compassion that dwell in the human spirit. In the left panel, the moon symbolises the mystery of life perceived by the innocence of youth. Life’s journey begins with confidence, how else could it begin, but in awe of the magnificence of almighty nature. But even in the second panel, a wizened prophet in the persona of James K Baxter reminds us there will be mighty temptations (the wine glass, the dens of gambling and iniquities, the seductress in black), along the road which is well-trodden - like the beaten path of Carmina Burana between the monastery and the distant village ale house. Even nature itself seems violated and polluted (the up-turned kiwi icon). So in the fourth panel the exuberance of youth is exhausted and finally collapses in a way that the biblical parable is suddenly condensed into the individual tragedy of entering the casino with ambitious but misguided hopes of a better life and emerging raggard and tattered, financially and psychologically wasted. But although we do not question the comforting salvation of the Father’s embrace, we maybe are left wondering if it alone is enough to save us. We hope it is - the kiwi is definitely back on its feet and the gush of the fresh waterfall brings the purifying and nourishing influence of water that salvation must be. From text written by Tony Martin affixed verso.

Dimensions

32 x 120 CM

Artist or Maker

Date

(b. 1949)

Provenance

Paul & Kerry Barber Collection Purchased from Artscape Gallery Ltd, 1999

Payment & Shipping

Payment

Accepted forms of payment: MasterCard, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

To be determined based on individual item and location. Please contact us directly for a quote.

Auction Details

The Paul & Kerry Barber Collection with Important & Rare Art Auction

by
International Art Centre
October 23, 2019, 07:00 PM NZST

202 Parnell Road Parnell, Auckland, 1052, NZ

Terms

Live bidding may start higher or lower

Buyer's Premium

$0 - 1,999:25.12%
$2,000 - 4,999:25.12%
$5,000 - 49,999:25.12%
$50,000 - 199,999:25.12%
$200,000+:25.12%

Bidding Increments

From:To:Increment:
$0$49$5
$50$99$25
$100$299$50
$300$999$100
$1,000$4,999$250
$5,000$9,999$500
$10,000$19,999$1,000
$20,000$49,999$2,500
$50,000$99,999$5,000
$100,000$199,999$10,000
$200,000$599,999$25,000
$600,000$999,999$35,000
$1,000,000+$50,000

Conditions of Sale

Conditions of Sale and A Guide to Buyers

The highest bidder shall be the buyer. In the event of any
dispute as to the bidding in respect of any lot, that lot may be
offered again at the discretion of the auctioneer whose decision
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(vi) to require a successful bidder to pay forthwith the
whole or any part of the purchase price.

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nor the seller shall be responsible for any defects or faults in
any lot or for any errors of description or for genuineness or
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immediately on completion of sale unless otherwise arranged.
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Art Centre.

Each lot shall be paid for and removed at the buyers expense by
no later than 5:00pm Friday 25 October 2019 unless otherwise
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have the right to forfeit any deposit paid by the buyer and to
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on costs of resale shall be borne by the defaulting buyer.

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can also not be made until completion of auction.

SUBJECT BIDS
When the auctioneer declares a lot 'subject' this means the
bid is below the set reserve and is subject to vendor accepting,
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endeavour to make contact with the vendor immediately after
sale or the following day. If the bid is accepted, the highest
bidder is obligated to make purchase.

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Estimates are provided for each entry and act as a guide only.
They are prepared well in advance of sale and are subject to
revision at any time. Estimates are based on hammer price and
do not include buyers premium.

ABSENTEE BIDS
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in back of catalogue Fax to (09) 307 3421 or post to PO Box 37
344 Parnell before 3pm day of sale. Please do not be offended
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Absentee bids can also be left via our website to registered
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PROTECTED OBJECTS ACT
Art objects over 50 years old made by an artist or maker born
in or related to New Zealand may be protected New Zealand
objects, and therefore require permission from the Ministry
for Culture and Heritage in order to be exported. Applications
for permission to export can be made at https://mch.govt.nz/
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FREIGHT & PACKING
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your items prior to them leaving our premises.
OTHER ENQUIRIES
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be of any other assistance please contact us during business
hours on (09) 379 4010, Toll Free 0800 800 322 or email
info@internationalartcentre.co.nz

BUYERS PREMIUM
17.5% Buyers premium plus GST on premium (20.12%) and a 5% invaluable fee applies to all lots purchased through invaluable. (Total buyers premium is 25.12% including GST)

BUYERS PREMIUM

BUYERS PREMIUM
17.5% Buyers premium plus GST on premium (20.12%) and a 5% invaluable fee applies to all lots purchased through invaluable. (Total buyers premium is 25.12% including GST)

Shipping Terms

To be determined based on individual item and location. Please contact us directly for a quote.