Once A Dark Horse, Now An Art World Superstar. Masterpiece By Rock ‘n’ Roll Painter Tony Fomison Set To Soar.

Tony Fomison, What shall we tell them? 1976. Oil on jute on board. 355 x 540 mm. Price estimate: $500,000 - $800,000

• Webb’s flagship Works of Art auction will take place on Monday 27 March.
• The sale includes Tony Fomison’s most famous 1976 work What shall we tell them?
• This is one of the best and most well-known works by the famous painter.
• Fomison’s works have increased in value spectacularly over the past three years.
• The work has a price estimate of $500,000 - $800,000.
• Prices for work by Fomison have increased in value faster than any other major NZ artist since the pandemic began.
• As economic concerns brew, major artworks are still breaking records.

“Tony Fomison has gone down in history as one of New Zealand’s greatest ever artists. Hands down, the story of the art market over the past four years has been the incredible rise in value of Fomison’s paintings. What shall we tell them? is one of his best works, and possibly his best known. It is an incredible privilege to be representing this painting at auction.”

Charles Ninow – Director of Art, Webb’s

Over the past three years, the market for New Zealand art has soared. This has happened across the board, though among all the eye-catching results, one name stands out – Tony Fomison. The edgy, rock ‘n’ roll influenced artist died at only 50. Since the pandemic, his artwork has gone up in value faster than that of any other major New Zealand artist. Last year, Webb’s sold the artist’s dazzling 1980s work The Fugitive for $1.84m when it auctioned the Bank of New Zealand Art Collection. This completely blew away the record for the artist’s work that Webb’s had set two years earlier when it sold Garden of Eden Aotearoa for $516,000. A slew of other excellent results over the past two years have seen Fomison become one of the nation’s most bankable artists – prior to this, major works by the artist typically sold for $100,000 or less.

Average price for artworks by Tony Fomison sold at auction

Average price per square centimetre of Fomison’s paintings sold at auction

As global economic headwinds create local ripples, some sophisticated investors have turned to investing in art as an alternative investment and inflation hedge. This can be a risky proposition, though masterpieces by historically significant artists are as near as it gets to a safe bet. The trouble is, such exceptional pieces rarely come on to the market. However, Webb’s has one such work set to be auctioned on Monday 27 March.

In 1994, some four years after the death of Tony Fomison, City Gallery Wellington held a retrospective exhibition of the artist’s work. Such major showings in public institutions are only ever afforded to the most noteworthy artists – important cultural figures who have produced bodies of work of enduring significance. The gallery titled the exhibition What shall we tell them? It was also the title of the accompanying book. Both the exhibition and the book had been named after one of the artist’s finest works, a work that featured on the book cover and in all of the publicity for the show.

Fomison painted What Shall We Tell Them? in 1976. Simply put, it is a masterpiece. Though it is modestly sized, it is a major work, and one of the most notable images of New Zealand art history. The painting depicts a jester in close-up, with closed eyes and a slight, warm smile. The carved head of the jester’s marotte appears in the lower right of the image. The palette is warm, with tones of red, magenta, ochre and Naples yellow. Later this month, Webb’s will auction the painting as the headline piece in their premium art auction, Works of Art. What Shall We Tell Them? has a pre-auction estimate of $500,000 - $800,000.

“One of the things about well-known artworks is that they can still surprise you, even though you have seen photos of them hundreds of times. This painting is breathtaking. I’ve looked at it in books more times than I could count, but to see it in the flesh is another experience altogether. It is hauntingly beautiful. ”

Charles Ninow – Director of Art, Webb’s

Tony Fomison

In November last year, Webb’s sold the companion piece to this painting, titled What Shall We Tell Them Now?. That work is something of a dark reflection of this one, featuring another jester in a similar composition, though in a muted palette of ochre and black, with dark shadows under the jester’s eyebrows and around their chin. That work sold for $514,000. Both are brilliant paintings, though it is in What Shall We Tell Them? that Fomison achieved the pinnacle of his jester works.

“Since the pandemic began, Fomison’s prices have gone up faster than any other major New Zealand artist. From a top price of around $300,000 pre-pandemic, to more than $1.8m, the growth is simply incredible. Fomison is finding the place in the market where he always belonged.”

Charles Ninow – Director of Art, Webb’s

Jesters are a recurring theme in Fomison’s work, appearing in numerous paintings, drawings and prints. The artist made extensive notes on What shall we tell them? and they offer some unique insight into the piece:

"Started 5.11.75, the black is ivory black. My recent horned and snake-haired heads had suggested that my interest in jesters could be roped in at this point, commencing with this panting. It favoured the headgear type with stiffened side extensions […] Frontal depictions of jesters feature extreme laughs and grins and popping eyes, for the less open smile & eyes of mine I made a perusal of my pulled faces folder, which has mostly old-age faces (I had determined from the outset not to produce a young handsome face, such as my other smiling face paintings have inevitably had). There is deliberate counterpoint in the composition: in the way that the central head is placed slightly left of centre, inclined slightly right, so as to regard the little jester in his hand (Jesters' staffs were a little duplicate of themselves, a little fall-guy; my opening of the staff head’s mouth to speak not only emphasises this, but continues the ‘motif’ of 2 earlier paintings of mine: The old man and child; The tree of life) In the way that the light source, coming from the left, throws the comedy face in shadow, the tragedy face hits light.”

“Fomison was a fastidious notetaker and it’s fascinating to read what he had to say about this painting.”

Charles Ninow – Director of Art, Webb’s

Along with What shall we tell them, Webb’s are auctioning five other works by Fomison, and dazzling suites of works by Don Binney, Michael Smither, and Bill Hammond and many others. Works of Art will take place in Auckland on Monday 27 March from 6pm.

To see previous art catalogues or for more information, visit webbs.co.nz.

Webb’s, New Zealand’s premier auction house.

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