SELL ABORIGINAL PAINTING
Want to sell Aboriginal Painting
The process is really easy.
Take a couple of images of the Aboriginal painting you want to sell and send them to me by email. Include the dimensions and known family history of the piece. Please include photos of any labels or certificates of Authenticity.
I don’t need gallery quality photos. I have been doing this for ages and deal with all sorts of images. Often it is easiest to just take an image of the artwork where ever there is good light.
The value of your aboriginal art will depend on the Artist, condition,, size and of course how aesthetically pleasing it is.
I normally pay the best price.
I do not deal with all artists. My specialty is early artists and pioneering artists.
Artworks under $5000 I usually buy outright. More valuable works can either buy outright or sold on a commission basis. I am very fortunate that I have extremely good clients for top end material.
Once a price has been settled I will send you money by direct bank transfer. We organize freight and packing.
Auctions
Often people will sell Aboriginal painting at auction. I source many underpriced artworks at auction every year. The problem with an auction is that you need two people in the room who know what your piece is worth and who have the money and are willing to pay for it.
Sellers can get lucky and achieve high prices at auction but it is a big gamble. You need to be aware that once an artwork has gone to auction and failed to sell it is often perceived as being less valuable.
Some Auctions deliberately overestimate the expected sale price in order to lure people into selling through them. This is part of the reason often over half the auction items are unsold.
It is often better to have an expert dealer show an artwork to a few select clients. These are top end clients who are known to collect an artist. This process is known as sale through private treaty. If an artwork does not sell through private treaty very few people know it was for sale in the first place and it is not devalued. If it doesn’t sell through private treaty it can then be placed in an auction.
Important pieces of art can sometimes be sold to State Art galleries but this is a very long and slow process.
Selling Aboriginal Painting: Provenance, Story, and the Sacred Mark of Country
Few art forms in the global canon hold the spiritual and cultural weight carried by Aboriginal painting. As collectors, curators, and institutions around the world increasingly recognize its profound depth, the decision to sell Aboriginal painting must be approached with reverence, knowledge, and precision. To do so without a thorough understanding of context is to miss the heartbeat of the work itself.
Aboriginal painting is not simply visual art—it is storytelling, mapping, ceremony, and identity all at once. Each dot, line, and pigment is a cipher for ancestral knowledge passed down through generations, often stretching back tens of thousands of years. The act of painting, for many Aboriginal artists, is a continuation of the Tjukurpa—the Dreaming—a cosmology that anchors Aboriginal life, law, and land. To engage in the transaction of such works requires more than market understanding; it requires cultural fluency and ethical care.
We recognize that to sell Aboriginal painting is to act as a steward for both cultural heritage and artistic legacy. Our specialists collaborate directly with Aboriginal art centres, community leaders, and provenance experts to ensure that every work brought to market is authenticated, respectfully sourced, and accompanied by appropriate documentation. Provenance is paramount—not simply for its value in the auction room, but for its affirmation of cultural legitimacy.
The market for Aboriginal painting has grown exponentially in recent decades. Master artists such as Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, and Rover Thomas have moved from regional acclaim to international stardom. Their works now command significant attention in the global art market, with high-profile auctions often exceeding pre-sale estimates. This trend reflects a growing appreciation not only of the aesthetic power of Aboriginal painting but of its conceptual brilliance and historical gravitas.
For collectors seeking to sell Aboriginal painting, timing and platform are critical. Sotheby’s offers both private sales and public auctions tailored to the specific needs of the consignor. Our Aboriginal Art Department provides bespoke valuations, market insights, and curatorial framing designed to position each work within its rightful artistic and cultural lineage. Whether you are offering a large-scale Papunya Tula canvas or an early ochre board from the Kimberley, we ensure your work reaches the most discerning and informed global audience.
It is also important to consider ethical resale practices. Aboriginal art is uniquely situated within the intersection of fine art, anthropology, and cultural property. As such, Sotheby’s adheres to stringent codes of conduct, including the resale royalty scheme where applicable, which ensures that artists or their communities receive ongoing recognition and benefit from secondary market transactions.
In recent years, new scholarship and museum exhibitions have further elevated the visibility and appreciation of Aboriginal painting. Institutions such as the National Gallery of Australia, Musée du quai Branly in Paris, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York now include significant holdings of Indigenous Australian art. This institutional validation continues to bolster market confidence and collector interest.
To sell Aboriginal painting through Sotheby’s is to participate in a carefully calibrated process that honours both artistic excellence and cultural integrity. Each work, whether contemporary or historical, is treated not only as a collectible, but as a living testament to one of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth.
If you are considering offering an Aboriginal painting for sale, we invite you to consult with our specialists for a confidential discussion. Let us help you navigate this important transaction with expertise, respect, and a deep appreciation for the enduring legacy of Aboriginal art.
I also deal in Tribal art from New Guinea