QUEENIE MCKENZIE (NAKARRA)

While it is possible that she made artworks earlier, the first recorded painting by Queenie McKenzie that has been offered at sale was a small, 60 x 80 cm untitled work created for Waringarri Arts in 1986, its first year of operation. Few works painted in the 1980s have come up for sale and these would have all been relatively small with simple imagery painted during brief visits to Kununurra or collected on visits to Warmun by Joel Smoker, the art coordinator at the time.

Queenie only began painting larger works from the beginning of the 1990s and, as would be expected, the bigger the canvas and the more colourful and complex her works, the higher their prices when offered for sale (regardless of the source provenance). Deserving of her name, Queenie was an impressive, upright, and open person who took care with her preparation and could mix the four basic ochres into an array of up to 12 different colours. Her paintings have generally lasted in good condition over time (other than those in which the lime content of the white ochre has affected the adherence of her characteristic white dotted borders).

The majority of her best results, including her eight highest, have been for large works produced between 1993 and 1996 with her record standing at the $102,000, paid for Power Places-Texas Downs Country;1996, a canvas measuring 163 x 202 cm sold at Lawson-Menzies in November 2007 (Lot 49). The most significant failure of a major painting occurred in 2008 when Limestone Hills Near Texas Downs 1994, a 120 x 180 cm work, remained unsold after having been offered by Lawson~Menzies with a presale estimate of $75,000 - 85,000. The work which was originally sold through the same auction house in May 2004, had been purchased for $94,750 (Lot 39). This still stands as the artist’s second highest result to date.

Interest in Queenie’s work spiked in 2000 when 24 of the 27 works on offer sold. In fact, by the end of that year her career clearance rate was a phenomenal 92%. The success of these small works continued despite the clearance rate dropping to 75% by the end of 2006. Between 2000 and 2006 the average price of her 60 x 90 cm works steadily rose from $7,188 to $10,714 while 90 x 120 cm works doubled on average from $13,150 to $25,200. Larger works also grew strongly in value with 120 x 150 cm works rising on average from $18,213 to $33,600. The values of her paintings have been on a slow decline since that time.

Since they first appeared at auction in 1996, the total number of paintings presented have been considerable with 147 sold of the 240 offered. In spite of a very poor year in 2012 when only 3 of the 9 works on offer sold, she still has a very healthy 61% clearance rate. However her works on paper have not fared half as well.

Queenie's higher than average success rate of 73% during 2015 belied the fact that prices for her larger works have dropped in recent years and are at least 25% down on their former values. She remains a sought after artist, 2017 bringing a clearance rate of over 70%. Among the 11 works sold that year was Dreaming Places, a wonderful 200 x 160 cm work on canvas that posted the artists 5th highest result at $54,600 (sold through CooeeArt MarketPlace (lot 39))The majority of Queenie McKenzie’s paintings are, however, small and remain affordable enough to grace the collection of those with limited financial resources who would like to own a work by the most important of all female Kimberley artists. Her larger works are harder to find, and they appear less frequently at auction. In the future they are sure to rise in value once more, as they are increasingly recognised as blue chip investments.

© Adrian Newstead