Goldfish 1963 by Douglas MacDiarmid
Painted by Douglas MacDiarmid in 1963, the artwork is part of The Collection of Frank and Lyn Corner, an important collection of modern New Zealand art that filled their Thorndon home for decades.
One of New Zealand’s most distinguished diplomats, Frank Corner’s career in foreign affairs spanned more than 40 years and included diplomatic postings in New York and Washington, where he served as Ambassador. The couple became avid art collectors over their lifetimes, and Lyn served as chair of the National Art Gallery Council, now part of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
While Frank passed away in 2014, and Lyn in 2016, their beloved art collection remains as it was at their lifelong home in Thorndon, Wellington, where it will be available for viewing from 15-17 March before the much-anticipated auction on 18 March at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery.
Auctioning a collection of 213 artworks in the nation’s capital of Wellington is a first for Auckland auction house Art+Object. The Corner modern art collection includes paintings, carvings, sculpture and floor rugs, and works by Frances Hodgkins, Toss Woollaston, Rita Angus, Colin McCahon, Ralph Hotere and Gordon Walters. Many of the works were purchased directly from the artists, demonstrating the couple’s appreciation of (and commitment to) their nation’s cultural development.
As an expatriate himself, Douglas’ works have found their way into a number of diplomatic collections, both on the walls of embassies and in the homes of those who have served in foreign affairs. In the Frank and Lyn Corner collection, MacDiarmid’s watercolour – Lot 116 Goldfish 1963 – is estimated to fetch $1500-2500.
The auction catalogue itself is a work of art and a fascinating insight into the life and times of a diplomatic couple in the post-war era. The Corner collection is also featured in an article the latest Autumn 2018 edition of Art News New Zealand.
About the auction
This painting was auctioned as part of The Collection of Frank and Lyn Corner by Art + Object on 18 March 2018.
Lot 116 Douglas MacDiarmid Goldfish 1963 (fetched $1900NZD)
To read more about Douglas MacDiarmid’s fascinating journey through life Buy your copy of Colours of a Life – the life and times of Douglas MacDiarmid by Anna Cahill (2018)
