In recent years the prices achieved for the work of Charles Frederick Goldie have close to doubled in value, reflecting his position as the preeminent painter of Maori in the early-mid stages of the Twentieth Century. Regularly making the news for high prices at auction and, by association, the returns they’ve given to canny investors and collectors under headlines like ‘Recession Proof’, ART+OBJECT will feature an important early Goldie Portrait in their upcoming sale of Important Paintings and Contemporary Art on July 29th. Whilst the painting is an undeniably important and rare example, the sale itself is more notable for the objectives of the current owner than for the work itself.
Painted in 1915 the painting carries all the hallmarks so prized by collectors of Goldie’s work including the incredible attention to detail and painterly virtuosity for which the artist is without peer in this country. The subject is TAMAITI TUKINO, A Chieftainess of the NGATI TUWHARETOA TRIBE who lived at TOKAANU, LAKE TAUPO and who was a descendant of the very noted Chief TE HEU HEU of the great ARAWA TRIBE.
A small note in the catalogue alongside the provenance and caption indicates the unprecedented intentions of the Goldie vendor: “All proceeds from the sale of this painting will be donated by the vendor towards funding charitable projects including increasing education and literacy in third world countries along with water and sanitation projects in Africa.”
ART+OBJECT expects the painting to realize between $150 000 and $200 000 at next Thursday night’s auction and has also donated a portion of its commission to support the vendor’s chosen charity. Director of Art, Ben Plumbly remarks: “Although I’ve been privileged enough to have sold several Goldie’s in recent years this sale will be the most unusual and special of them all. Whilst it is not unprecedented for a vendor to give a portion of the proceeds from the sale of a painting to a charity or back to the artist or their estate, never before have I come across a vendor donating the entire proceeds of the sale of such an important and expensive work of art to charity”.
The vendor lives in the lower North Island and wishes to remain anonymous. They have owned the painting for around twenty years.
