Paris, 23 January 2026 - A European private collection of 38 interesting and various pieces of Aboriginal art was offered in an online sale at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris from 13 to 23 January 2026. Compiled between early 1990s and 2011, this encyclopaedic collection, showing the wealth of Aboriginal culture, attracted strong interest from French and international collectors. A part of this collection was exhibited in Wissenschaftszentrum in Bonn in 2010. The sale achieved a total of €90,944, with an excellent sell-through rate of 95%, confirming the continued demand for Aboriginal art on the European market.
Merryn Schriever, Managing Director, Australia, commented: "Competitive bidding throughout the auction demonstrated collectors' growing appreciation for both the aesthetic and cultural value of Aboriginal works. We are happy with the results, which underline the increasing visibility and recognition of Aboriginal art within the Parisian and European art markets."
Top lot of the sale was Dibirdibi Country, 2008 by Sally Gabori, sold for €33,280 against an estimate of €14,000 to 24,000. Considered as one of the greatest contemporary Australian artists of the past two decades, she began painting in 2005, around the age of eighty, and developed, in just a few short years and prior to her death in 2015, a unique, vibrantly colorful body of work. Her paintings have as many topographical references of her native island as they are stories with a deep signification for her, her family and her Kaiadilt people. Her work has been presented by Fondation Cartier in 2022. By the same artist, My Husband's Country with Saltpan, 2008, sold for €19,200 against an estimate of €10,000 to 15,000.
Other highlights of the sale included:
• Acquired directly from the artist, Papunya, c.1974 Untitled, c.1973 by Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri (circa 1929-1984) sold for €5,376.
• Jimmy Ngalakun (Burarra people, born 1946), Lorrkons, natural earth pigments and synthetic binders on stringy-bark wood sold for €4,096
• Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri (Australian, 1932-2002), Ceremonial Dancing Men, 1998, synthetic polymer paint on linen sold for €3,328.
• Banumbirr (Morning star poles), Galiwin'ku, Arnhem Land, one example attributed to Gali Yalkarriwuy Gurruwiwi (1942 to 2020), ochre and synthetic polymer paint on hibiscus, feathers, bush string sold for €2,560.
• Ken Thaiday Senior (Torres Strait Islander, born 1950), Beizam (shark) dance mask plywood structure with black bamboo, string, plastic, paint, glass, shaped feathers sold for €1,920.
• Esther Giles (born 1948), Mountain Devil Story, 2008, synthetic polymer paint on linen sold for €1,792 twice its estimate. She commonly depicts scenes of sand dunes, rock holes, waterholes and food sources.
(Press Release)
