Auction

Kudos goes to Hi Qo Gallery in Kingston who hosted the art auction A Selection of Jamaican Works last weekend. Jamaica's art market has been in the doldrums for the past few years, reeling from the depressed economic climate, failed ponsi schemes and a Jamaican dollar valued now at almost $90 - 1 $US.  This sale presented a timely test to see whether the hard times are easing. Organiser Susanne Fredericks selected more than 100 works from two death estates and other works that had come into the Gallery recently. The batch included pieces by significant names such as pioneers Manley, Kapo and Huie as well as younger talent like Khary Darby, and Oliver Myrie.

The event could have benefitted from a more experienced auctioneer who might have offered a more nuanced understanding of works and roused buyers to bid more competetively. Even so, more that 60% were sold successfully with the highest bid for the evening going to Carl Abrahams' Jesus's Miracles (c. 1980) at JA $715,000. Notably, other works around the million dollar mark, such as Huie's Port Henderson (c. 1975) and Edna Manley's Goat (c.1978) were withdrawn suggesting that buyers are still keeping their purse strings tight. Works offered at under JA $100,000 did best while the highpoint of the evening was the lively battle over Eric Cadien's Sleeping Figure (1960), the work shown here estimated at JA $90 – 100,000 that eventually sold for JA $170,000. Auction results suggest that the market is finally moving after a long period of decline but it still has a long way to go before it regains the momentum and values reached before the recession.

The Edna Manley Foundation's valient attempt to raise funds for Haiti by hosting an auction is instructive. The dismal sums raised teach us that despite best efforts the economic recession is taking its toll on the Jamaican art market. The catalogue listed 113 works by some 70 artists ranging from Jamaica's early pioneer painters such as John Dunkley, Carl Abrahams and Edna Manley to contemporary talent such as Marissa Holland and Michael Chambers. There was also a handful of Haitian works including one by the important artist Jeane Claude Severe. As usual, the National Gallery staff rallied to present works in a highly professional manner, displaying them ahead of time, and auctioneer William Tavares Finson handled the bidding. But even as the first round of paintings were passed up at relatively low reserve prices it was clear that Jamaican collectors have slowed their pace of buying as they fight to cope with the economic downturn. Almost half the works were withdrawn because they failed to raise enough interest to meet reserve prices, and those that did sell barely made their estimated values. The thrilling competitive bidding of past years never materialized suggesting that the days of big spending and bullish collection building are over.