Tauranga Artistic Treasures For Sale

Artistic Treasures By One of Tauranga’s Most Famous Painters Now Up For Sale

TAURANGA, Friday 31 May 2013:  Over 100 paintings by revered Tauranga artist, the late Arthur Dagley, will soon be auctioned at Baycourt – the last time such a large collection of his work will ever go on sale.

The one-off estate auction on Monday 10th June is being organised by Fine Art Society New Zealand on behalf of the artist’s estate. Price estimates range from $300 to $14,000, with the majority of the 101 pieces predicted to sell for under $2000.

Fine Art Society director Grant Bezett says this is an excellent chance for local residents to buy top quality New Zealand art at an affordable price.

“This collection includes a good selection of Arthur’s work from smaller paintings to the larger scale and some well-known important works. This is a once-only opportunity for collectors to purchase Dagley’s work directly from his estate.”

Art critics often referred to Dagley as being “the most underrated painter in New Zealand”, primarily because he lived in Tauranga almost his entire life. The city did not have an art gallery for much of that time, and Dagley rarely exhibited in New Zealand’s main urban centres.

Dagley was largely self-taught but did receive tuition from other famous painters such as Colin McCahon, Claudia Jarman, Rudi Gopas, Louise Henderson, Garth Tapper and Paul Olds – all of whom influenced his unique style.

His fascination with shipping, and the Port of Tauranga in particular, saw him produce a wealth of paintings featuring the harbour and ships in port, and in 1968 he was a finalist in the prestigious Benson and Hedges Art Award.

His landscape paintings exhibited various styles and techniques, and Bezett says Dagley had a special ability to express the feeling and atmosphere of a certain place.

And while Dagley was not a portrait painter in the traditional sense, he did produce many ‘character portraits’ which depicted types of characters rather than specific individuals. “These works often distorted scale and space to evoke a sense of the subject’s character and illustrate Dagley’s commentary on the scene,” Bezett says.

Dagley worked as a fulltime artist for several decades until he passed away in 1998 aged 79. His estate auction comprises artworks which have a distinct Bay of Plenty flavour and Bezett is confident all 101 pieces will be snapped up.

“Quality artwork is not only beautiful, it’s a solid financial investment as the art market is not directly influenced by the various destabilizing events which occur in world financial markets,” Bezett explains.

“The Artprice Global Index has comprehensively outperformed both the New Zealand sharemarket and the residential property market over the two decades, proving fine art can be a stable and very worthwhile investment.”

The public are invited to view Dagley’s artworks at Baycourt prior to auction on Saturday 8th June from 10am until 5pm, and Sunday 9th June from 10am until 4pm.

A third viewing session will be held on auction day, Monday 10th June, from 9am until 1pm, with bidding due to commence at 6:30pm.

“Fine Art Society staff will be on hand at each viewing to offer advice and assistance,” Bezett says. “Auctioneer Steve Davis is fantastic and we are expecting a very successful and enjoyable night.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media