'Significant discovery': Rita Angus Hawke's Bay landscape to be auctioned in Australia
Hawke's Bay Today, 20 April 2022
A "significant discovery" of a painting by renowned Hawke's Bay artist Rita Angus is expected to fetch upwards of $380,000 at auction in Australia in May.
The 55.5 x 75.5 cm oil on board of a Hawke's Bay landscape is being auctioned by leading Australian fine art auction house Deutscher and Hackett on May 4.
The painting has an estimated sale range of A$350,000 to A$450,000 ($380,000 to $480,000).
It is believed to be the first time an Angus painting has been auctioned in Australia, and the Deutscher and Hackett catalogue notes it is ''only rarely that a new painting comes to light – one which has never been published".
"In that respect, this Hawke's Bay landscape is a significant discovery – a luminous, beguiling image, and a fascinating example of the artist's work."
Painted in 1955, it was acquired by Mrs N. E Bowater, from Christchurch, before being sold into a private collection, in Christchurch, in about 1960.
From there, it made its way into a private collection in Melbourne, before being presented for auction in 2022.
The work is clearly a Hawke's Bay subject, but its title is undocumented.