PADDY NYUNKUNY BEDFORD

Paddy Bedford, like Eastern Anmatjerre artist Emily Kngwarryee, produced paintings for no more than a decade at the end of his life. However unlike Kngwarreye, who produced in excess of 4000 paintings before her death in 1996, Bedford painted only sparingly for most of his late-blooming, artistic career. At their best, his minimal abstracted ochre works have an equal power and strength to those of Rover Thomas, the founder of the East Kimberley style. However Bedford was physically capable of producing major paintings for only a limited period of his life, restricting his work beyond this to painting on paper created in coloured gouache and smaller, more manageable works on linen and artboard. His entire artistic output was produced for Jirrawun Arts, other than a small number of paintings on canvas and artboard created during a workshop organised by Neil McLeod for Jack Dale at his home in Derby during late 2001. During the workshop Bedford stayed with Dale, an old friend, and although the paintings he created at that time were extremely well photo-documented these works are not considered to have been part of his ‘official’ catalogue resonne and their value has therefore been discounted in the market. Between 2000 and 2006, Bedford’s secondary market results were dominated by non-Jirrawun paintings, the highest selling of which being a 106 x 147 cm work on linen entitled Caves at Old Bedford 2001, which went for $19,200 at the Lawson-Menzies November 2004 auction (Lot 22). At the start of 2007 a superb 180 x 150 cm canvas, Girrganyji the Brown Falcon Dreaming 2000 sold well over estimate in Shapiro’s June 2003 auction taking $17,625 (Lot 163), to become the artist’s second highest record.

During his own lifetime Bedford remained one of those rare artists whose secondary market prices did not reflect the prices paid for his works by collectors in the primary market. His exhibitions at galleries including Raft Gallery in Darwin, Chapman Galleries in Canberra, Martin Brown Gallery and Grant Pirrie in Sydney and William Mora Galleries in Melbourne were always eagerly awaited events and the buyers of works from these exhibitions were universally unwilling to let go of their prized purchases until 2007. What a difference just three years can make! Paddy Bedford passed away early in 2007 and since then his sales have been nothing short of spectacular. There have now been 32 sales of $75,000 and over, which have propelled Bedford from relative obscurity on the secondary market at the end of 2006, to see him rank 1st in 2011, 4th in 2012, 2013 and 2014, 5th in 2015 and 3rd in 2016. With an Aboriginal Art Market Rating in 2006 of just 0.892 and a ranking between the 120 and 150th in terms of his individual auction success he became the 12th most successful artist of all time by the end of the following year, the eighth by 2012 and 6th by the end of 2015.

At the time of his death his most contemporary looking paintings were already valued in the primary market for as much as $85,000, with small boards produced toward the end of his painting career in 2005-2006 selling for up to $25,000, yet his record price at auction remained below $20,000.

In 2007 William Mora featured the artist in his stand at the Melbourne Art Fair to rapturous acclaim. However, following the Bedford's death, with primary market sales having dried up completely, auction houses were deluged with interest. The same year, at Lawson~Menzies no less than eight potential buyers were willing to bid above $120,000 for Joogoomoondiny – Gawler Gully 2004, and by the time two eager buyers had finished their titanic struggle the painting, sold to a Swiss collector for $300,000, the artist's record price to this day. Merremerrji-Queensland Creek, 2005 was the star performer in Bonham's solo artists sale Selected Works from the Estate of Paddy Bedford when it sold for $216,000. And Thoonbi, 2006, a work held in the superannuation fund of Melbourne uber-dealer Bill Nutall, achieved $180,000 at Bonham's in 2012 despite a dismal result for the sale overall. In 2013 two works entered his top 10 results. Ngarrmaliny-Cockatoo at Police Hole, 2003 measuring 150 x 180 cm, and carrying an estimate of $150,000-180,000, sold for $201,300 at the Bonham's Laverty Collection sale in March; and in June, Thoowoonggoonarrin 2006, achieved $183,000 at Sotheby's.

In spite of some adverse publicity in the Bulletin magazine, suggesting Bedford was assisted in many works, his popularity continues undiminished. In 2015, 12 of 14 works sold for an average price of $45,567, another work entering his top ten results.

Since his death in 2007, Paddy’s best works have shattered his earlier records. And no wonder! Their sophisticated, subtle palette and inspired sense of design, as well as their relative scarcity, ensure that they will remain amongst the most highly desired of all Aboriginal paintings indefinitely.

© Adrian Newstead