Manly Daily, 24 April 2009: There's no smoke without fire ...

The Daily Telegraph, 23 April 2009, Opinion: Past repainted

We’ve heard of history being re-written but we've never before heard of it being repainted.

For this breakthrough, thanks must go to the fusspots at Manly Council. Whether by accident or design, the council has ended up erasing cigarettes from a local artist's self-portrait. Given that the late artist (Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo) was a smoker, it seems fair of him to depict himself with a cigarette. Manly Council didn't think so, however, and retrospectively erased his smoking habit.

Dattilo-Rubbo must be the only smoker in history to have given up the habit 54 years after his death. Next they'll have him eating watercress sandwiches and jogging.


The Daily Telegraph, 23 April 2009:
Anti-smokers repaint history by removing cigarette
By Elizabeth Fortescue

IT was the smoking gun that left a Sydney council gasping for breath. Just what did happen to the cigarette dangling from the mouth of local artist Antonio Datitlo-Rubbo in his self portrait?

Manly Council took its anti-smoking stance to breath-taking lengths by "removing" the offending cigarette and another smouldering in an ashtray in a version of the painting it posted on its website. But according to Council, the mysterious disappearance of the offending cigarettes was a simple, embarrassing and regrettable mistake - and the original painting has not been disturbed.

When alerted to the gaffe yesterday, the council whipped the altered painting off its website and replaced it with a cropped version of the original in which a cigarette dangles from the artist's mouth and another smoulders in an ashtray.

According to Manly Council's general manager Henry Wong, the error occurred in January when the council was preparing a publicity brochure on a new website dedicated to Dattilo-Rubbo, who had lived locally. Mr Wong and Mayor Jean Hay both objected to the self portrait The Artist and the Model, 1940, which had been selected for the brochure.

The council owns the painting, which hangs in the Manly Art Gallery and Museum. "Because we are very strong in being anti-cigarettes, we didn't feel it was good for council to be using that image," Ms Hay said yesterday. But she said the directive to remove the image and replace it with another one was misinterpreted as a directive to remove the cigarettes.

Council's communications officer got rid of the cigarettes and the altered image appeared on the council's website. "When I saw it on the Saturday, I didn't even notice the cigarette had gone," Ms Hay said.

The image was on the website until late yesterday but was removed after an email from Eliot Ramsey of the Australia-New Zealand Art Censorship Resistance Alliance.

"It was a mistake," Mr Wong said. "We are sincerely sorry." Manly Council has banned smoking on beaches and outdoor dining areas in the Corso, introducing fines for locals who light up in public.

The artist's granddaughter Anna Rubbo said it was "the funniest thing I've heard in a long time". "In those days everyone smoked. It's like all the old movies. If you airbrushed cigarettes out of Humphrey Bogart movies, where would you be?" she said.

Manly art consultant David Hulme, who created the Dattilo-Rubbo website, was not amused. "It's appalling. It's taking away the integrity of the painting," he said.


Visit Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo's website to see the painting 'The artist and his model'.


Sydney Morning Herald, 23 April 2009:
Spot the difference: council sets off smoke alarm
By Louise Schwartzkoff

Like many men of his generation, the late artist Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo loved tobacco. In the dozens of self-portraits he painted before his death in 1955, he is often pictured with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

But when Manly Council decided to honour the former Manly resident with an exhibition and website, Dattilo-Rubbo's vice collided with the council's strict anti-smoking policy.

In an online news release advertising a website about the painter's life and art, one of his self-portraits - The Artist And The Model - was painstakingly altered by a member of the council's communications team. One smoking cigarette was airbrushed from the artist's mouth, a second was banished from an ashtray on the table.

The incident comes a week after France was outraged by advertisements showing the iconic French comedian Jacques Tati without his signature pipe. In posters promoting an exhibition at the Cinematheque Francaise, Tati's pipe was replaced by a toy windmill, a concession to France's strict anti-smoking laws.

Manly Council is also renowned for its anti-smoking stance. In 2004, it was the first local government area in Australia to forbid smoking at its beaches. It has also banned smoking at al fresco dining areas, sporting grounds and within 10 metres of the entrances to council buildings.

The art consultant David Hulme, who was commissioned to create the Dattilo-Rubbo website by the council-operated Manly Art Gallery and Museum as part of its 80th anniversary celebrations, said he was shocked by the intervention. "It's ridiculous that this could happen," he said. "[Smoking] is what the artist was known for … It was not appropriate to take that cigarette out of his mouth. It was part and parcel of the man."

Yesterday the council insisted the case of the disappearing cigarettes was all a simple mistake. A member of its management team had instructed a staff member in its communications department to remove the artwork featuring the cigarette.

Unfortunately, the instruction was misinterpreted and the staff member removed the cigarettes from the artwork instead. "Manly Council is a proud supporter of the arts and we would be opposed to any censorship - perceived or otherwise," the spokeswoman said.

Oddly, the "misinterpretation" was not spotted by the council for several months - the news release first appeared in late January. But within hours of being contacted by the Herald yesterday, the missing cigarette had reappeared in the image on the council's website.



Hills News, 31 March 2009: Doyle paintings ‘genuine’

After viewing nearly 150 paintings by d'Arcy Doyle last Friday, Jennefer Doyle was able to authenticate each work as genuinely painted by her late husband.

This follows the authentication by Mrs Doyle a few weeks ago at Bonhams and Goodman of 90 works from the Ron Coles Gallery at Kenthurst among 405 art works seized by police in a raid earlier this year.

The paintings viewed and examined last Friday were from many different owners from all over NSW and from different time periods.

‘With almost 250 paintings now authenticated as genuine by Jennefer Doyle, we can safely put to rest the rumours and innuendo that there are fake d'Arcy Doyles in the market,’ said David Hulme, of fine art consultants Banziger Hulme.

Brigitte Banziger said: ‘We will have many relieved owners of d'Arcy Doyle paintings who will be able to fully enjoy their works again.’

Mr Coles is missing amid police investigations of claims of fake artworks from some of Australia's greatest artists. There are also allegations of pictures owned by others being resold and allegations of missing millions in art money.


Daily Telegraph, 27 March 2009: Doyle's widow to confirm paintings are the real deal
By Elizabeth Fortescue

'... Banziger Hulme director David Hulmse said he asked Mrs Doyle to fly from Brisbane after clients voiced concerns about the authenticity of their d'Arcy Doyle paintings. 'They [investors] have got maybe $ 40,000 to $ 50,000 of paintings on their walls which could suddenly be worthless, he said ...'

















Manly Daily, 18 March 2009: Artist's widow to authenticate works

'... Banziger Hulme Fine Art Consultants is organising the authentication day in its Manly office ... Valuer David Hulme said he had received many calls from concerned collectors of Doyle paintings ..'






Hills News, 17 March 2009: Disappointed

“ …’This is a one-off opportunity for owners of works by D'Arcy Doyle, as Jennefer Doyle will only authenticate works in the flesh and will fly specifically to Sydney from Queensland for the day only,’ said Brigitte Banziger, of Banziger Hulme Fine Art Consultants.

The appraisals will take place at Banziger Hulme's office in Manly on March 27.

‘Recently, there has been quite a lot of adverse publicity regarding the authenticity of paintings by D'Arcy Doyle,’ said David Hulme. ‘The artist's widow has naturally been very concerned with her husband's reputation, and many owners of works do not know anymore whom or what to believe when it comes to the authenticity of the paintings in their homes.

‘We have had calls from many concerned owners of D'Arcy Doyle paintings. They just want to be reassured of the authenticity of their works, so they can get peace of mind.'’ …

Manly Daily, 19 February 2009: Maybe it's a Picasso in the attic

"... Banziger hulme Fine  Art consultants is holding its annual art appraisal day in Manly this Saturday with experts ready to expertly scrutinise art, such as oil paintings, watercolours, limited-edition prints, etchings, photographs and sculpture. 'We will assist in finding out whether you have a truly valuable piece or a treasured family artwork which may still hold sentimental or historical value', valuer David Hulme said. ..."



























Manly Daily, 17 January 2009: Mayor's message - Information technology boosts art legend

Now here is a great idea combining traditional art values and modern information technology. Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo (1870 - 1955) .... will  now receive the greater public acknowledgement he so richly deserves thanks to a new website. ....

The project .... has been created by Banziger Hulme Fine Art Consultants for the Manly Art Gallery and Museum for its 80th anniversary in 2010. ... Jean Hay, Mayor
































Manly Daily, 16 January 2009: Art patron honoured

A website has been established to honour one of the founders of the Manly Art Gallery and Museum and a donor of 130 artworsk, artist Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo.  ....

.....The website was created by Banziger Hulme Fine Art Manly and funded by the Gordon Darling Foundation and can be viewed at www.antoniodattilorubbo.com.au

The Australian, 23 December 2008: 'Tough year but art dealers are hanging in there'

After a bumper 2007, the Australian art auction market is down nearly 35 per cent this year, with $114.5 million of art works going under the hammer.

Several important paintings, including an 1830s John Glover landscape and one of Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly pictures, failed to sell at auction because of prohibitive reserve prices.

...  Auction sales peaked at a record $175.6 million last year. This year's $114.5 million worth of trade, though well down on last year, is still higher than the total sales figure for 2006.

Unlike the early 1990s crash, when several commercial galleries and dealers were forced to close their doors, industry players say the current scenario is less bleak. Significantly, serious collectors who stopped buying during last year's overheated art market are slowly returning.

Art adviser David Hulme said: "Good art will survive any crisis, and the committed collectors will always be there, whether it's the primary market or the secondary auction market. Perhaps 2007 was an aberration; time will tell."...

The Times, 26 November 2008:  'Sex and subterfuge: Borgia portrait plot lives up to her name'

'...  David Hulme, a Sydney art expert and valuer, decribed the find as "exciting and extraordinary."  "It's probably worth millions," he said. 

"Is it possible that for 40 years the National Gallery of V ictoria has been sitting on a masterpiece by Leonarda da Vinci worth millions of dollars? It's an unlikely outcome, but the Renaissance master is one of several names suggested by art experts keen to pre-empt today's announcement by the NGV of a major discovery among its 16th century paintings.  ... art consultant and valuer David Hulme said such works 'can achieve into the millions of dollars' ... "

"Is this the world's first virtual art museum? Fine art consultants Banziger Hulme can't be sure if the website, that has been established for its client, is the first private collection to be viewed on the web. But the Manly consultants know the client wanted to do something different with his contemporary Australian art collection. "He is interested in sharing and having the opportunity to place his collection online for anyone to see really excited him",  David Hulme said. ... The site can be found at www.theartcollectorseye.com.au ..."





















Mosman Daily, 20 November 2008: "Get art pieces valued for free"

"Is there a Picasso under your bed? .... Banziger Hulme Fine Art Consultants are holding a valuation session at the Framing Workshop on Saturday, November 22, between 10am and 2pm. ..."

"... Base's decision to sell his original work is unusual, says David Hulme, Sydney-based art valuer with fine art consultants Banziger Hulme. Most illustrators hang on to their artwork, and exhibit other work created specifically for the fine art market. He says illustrative work tends to have a far lower value than other works on paper. "I recently valued some illustrations for a regional art gallery and they weren't as pure, they didn't have a fine art component," Hulme says. "Nobody in the fine art world will look at illustration in the same way as fine art."

Hulme makes a distinction between straightforward commercial work for advertising or editorial, and illustration work for books. Norman Lindsay, he says, is a case in point. A Lindsay illustration will sell for about $2000, but a non-commercial watercolour will fetch $50,000. The illustrations for his children's book The Magic Pudding are in a different league. As an artist and author with an established reputation, the book was published in 1918 as a limited edition for the relatively high price of pound stg. 1 10 shillings. The original art work is now in the State Library of NSW. ..."

Manly Daily, 5 November 2008: "Aussie art gem found in Texas"

'...According to Banziger Hulme Fine Art director David Hulme, the large oil on canvas painting titled Solstice was unknown and represented an outstanding historical find. ...






















Sydney Morning Herald, 4 November 2008: "When opportunity shops knock"

'.... Kay Gray paid $US45 for the semi-abstract painting, took it home and displayed it with her collection of modern pottery. On a whim, she did an internet search on the name written on the back of the wooden frame.

"When I Googled John Coburn, up popped all these beautiful paintings and all I could think was 'Oh my God'," she says. "I thought it was a nice piece and well painted, but I sure never thought it could be by someone famous."

She contacted an Australian art consultant and broker, David Hulme, who recognised it immediately as Coburn's work. "The signature is pretty distinctive, and the texture of the paint and the style of the work is also very Coburn. Then there's the inscription on the back with his address at the time clearly written," he says. "It's definitely legitimate and a very exciting find." ....

Hulme gave the painting a market value of $20,000 and advised Gray and her husband to insure it for $30,000. "But if it came up for auction it could do even better because it's an unknown work and it's turned up in such unusual circumstances," he says. ....'

Canberra Times, 4 November 2008: "When opportunity shops knock"

'... She contacted an Australian art consultant and broker, David Hulme, who recognised it immediately as Coburn's work. "The signature is pretty distinctive, and the texture of the paint and the style of the work is also very Coburn. Then there's the inscription on the back with his address at the time clearly written," he says. "It's definitely legitimate and a very exciting find."

Hulme gave the painting a market value of $20,000 and advised Gray and her husband to insure it for $30,000. "But if it came up for auction it could do even better because it's an unknown work and it's turned up in such unusual circumstances," he says. ...'

Telegraph.co.uk, 4 November 2008: "Lost Australian masterpieces unearthed in Texas charity shops"

'... The second discovery was made this month, when a John Coburn work, Solstice, surfaced in a second-hand shop in the Texan town of San Marcos. Coburn, a Queensland-born artist, is known for his tapestries and distinctive abstract style.  ....  Mrs Gray got in touch with Australian art consultant David Hulme, who recognised it as a Coburn original. ....'

Sydney Morning Herald, 9 August 2008, Travel: "Travel global, drink local - Auction caution"

"A work noted for its gritty and literal nature has won the Selector's Award at the 2008 Warringah Art Prize. Blacktown artist Johan Neave's 'Red Desire, Passion Fire' won the
$2,000 prize. ...

The selectors were David Hulme of Banziger   Hulme Fine Art and Manly Art Gallery curator Sarah Johnson. "The sense of community from this and the encouragement for emerging artists is phenomenal, " Mr Hulme said. "The prize is a huge incentive to people starting out."

Mr Hulme said the winner was chosen because of the way he invested emotion into the work. "You don't necessarily want to give it to someone who is playing it safe," he said....

".... Art adviser David Hulme predicted more Henson works would be on the market for the next round of auctions. 'His prices now sitting at $ 25,000, could be 20 per cent to 30 per cent higher by the time we see his work at the Melbourne Art Fair in August,' he said."

...One long-dead artist receiving attention today is Norman Lloyd .... A lot of investigation is taking place to establish Lloyd's character and identity, and the artist now has his own website - normanlloyd.com.au. The Manly art team Banziger Hulme is behind the website. .... A large collector has been buying Lloyd's work through Banziger Hulme .... More than 335 works by this prolific artist have been sold over the past 20 years."

"Last weekend Banziger Hulme held their annual Art Appraisal Day in the Corso, with more than 100 locals lining up to have their precious family heirlooms valued. David Hulme said he was stunned by the quality of the works that were presented.... 'A local lady brought in a high-quality Norman Lindsay piece that we valued at about $ 40,000, although we'd insure it for $ 60,000' ...   Mr Hulme and partner Brigitte Banziger were also blown away by the works of still-life master Albert Sherman and portraitist Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo, one of the main founders of the Manly Art Gallery and Museum...."

Superliving.com.au,

"... It's a bull market, and there's no suggestion it will fall down any time soon," said David Hulme of art advisers Banziger Hulme. "Auction sales this year have been strong, and there are a lot more people wanting to be involved - a lot more savvy investors who want to divest their investments and purchase art. ..."

"Banziger Hulme Fine Art Consultants have been accepted into the Australian Antique and Art Dealers Association (AA&ADA). .... Acceptance into the prestigious organisation is a clear recognition of the company's efforts."

"... Local art dealers Banziger Hulme will be giving free appraisals at Steve Coburn's studio..."

"... David Hulme of Banziger Hulme art consultants (sic) has a slightly different view: 'There are more people buying art and, as a consequence, more people have to be interested in sculpture. But whether it's transferring into the secondary market at the same level, I don't think so. The secondary market is so conservative in its purchasing, and it will take a number of years to happen. But I do believe it will happen.' ...

The Australian Art Market Report, Issue 25, Spring 2007,

Manly Daily, 21 June 2007: Gems in cupboard

Australian Financial Review, 7 June 2007:
Watercolour birds free at last

Mosman Daily, 7 June 2007: Rare birds roll up
"The woman recently turned up at the Manly offices of fine art consultants
Banziger Hulme with some tightly rolled paper. 'The paper turned out to be
some rare birds indeed - 10 watercolour works by Australian bird
painter H. Hepburn Calvert,' consultant David Hulme said."



























North Shore Times, 11 May 2007: Well worth consulting
Fine art consultant David Hulme was happy to give his expert
advice recently to someone who had bouth several paintings
at a garage sale in Killara 13 years ago. ... Hulme said she was a lovely
lady who had bought the paintings for their frames and never
heard of any of the artists - who just happened to include
Lionel Lindsay, Herbert Gallop, Sydney Ure Smith, James R. Jackson,
Arthur Burgess and Emanuel Phillips Fox. Hulme's advice was that,
rather than giving the collection away,
it could go to auction."




























Manly Daily, 4 May 2007






















Northern Beaches Weekender, 3 May 2007:
Hidden treasure delights
"...Taking her daugher's advice, (the lady owner) decided
to phone Banziger Hulme Fine Art consultants -
just in case the paintings were worth a dollar or two. ....
She had works by Lionel Lindsay, Herbert Gallop,
Sydney Ure Smith, James R Jackson, Arthur Burgess and
Emanuel Phillips Fox.... 'Of course I was delighted to
inform the owner that they would be of good value,'
David said."























Mosman Daily, 3 May 2007



















Manly Daily, 2 May 2007























Manly Daily, 7 March 2007:
"An art appraisal day in Manly uncovered a lovely northern
beaches scene by Will Ashton...Banziger Hulme's annual art appraisal day
saw more than 70 attendees with some very interesting works...."

Mosman Daily, 1 March 2007





















Manly Daily, 28 February 2007

























Australian Financial Review, 14 December 2006

"Banziger Hulme Fine Art of Sydney is selling a rare seascape by
Albert Namatjira, an artist more often associated with
central Australian watercolours."

Manly Daily, 16 November 2006

: Investing is a Fine Art                                                                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                                                     
     

Mosman Daily, 27 July 2006



























The Weekend Australian, 22/23 July 2006

       





















Mosman Daily, 6 July 2006

                   

             




















Isle of Man Examiner, November 2005













Mosman Daily, November 2005

Northern Beaches Weekender, 4 November 2004





















Manly Daily, 29 October 2004
























The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 August 2004