Henri’s Armchair (1974-75) – from the Whiteley’s Lavender Bay series – displays the artist’s studio home over Sydney Harbour.
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Despite a tumultuous year across the country, Australian auction houses have been fairing reasonably well with the smart money strongly supporting art investment. With that in mind, a Brett Whiteley masterpiece is set to break an Australian art record this week when it goes under the hammer in Sydney.
Presented by Menzies Art Brands, Henri’s Armchair (1974-75) – from the Whiteley’s Lavender Bay series – displays the artist’s studio home over Sydney Harbour across an impressive 195cm by 302cm canvas.
Menzies Art Brands has attached a $5-$7 million price estimate to the masterpiece, which, if the upper end is achieved, will make it the highest value Australian artwork to sell at auction.
“The scale, subject matter, provenance, exhibition history, literary referencing and ‘freshness to market’ of Henri’s Armchair are all factors that make it one of the most valuable Australian paintings to ever be offered for sale on the secondary market,” says Justin Turner, Menzies Art Brands’ head of art.
The previous record currently sits at $5.4 million, achieved by a Sidney Nolan painting a decade ago that is now part of the permanent collection at the Art Gallery of NSW.
Whiteley is one of Australia’s most celebrated artists – a dual Archibald Prize winner he remains the only Australian artist to have won the Archibald, Sulman and Wynne prizes in the same year.
The prized artwork will go under the hammer Thursday 7 pm AEST, November 26 at Menzies’ Sydney gallery as a single lot.
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With US$40 million already committed, the Global Talent Fund is attracting investor attention with a strategy focused on building globally scalable consumer brands alongside high-profile talent.
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A new investment fund targeting celebrity-founded consumer brands has secured US$40 million in commitments and is rapidly approaching its US$50 million fundraising target, signalling growing investor appetite for alternative opportunities beyond traditional asset classes.
The Global Talent Fund, which has a maximum raise of US$100 million, focuses on building and investing in consumer businesses alongside celebrities, athletes, and influential personalities who play an active role as co-founders rather than simply endorsing products.
The strategy is based on the belief that changes in consumer behaviour, particularly the rise of social media and digital engagement, have fundamentally altered how brands are built and scaled.
GTF founding partner Jeremy Hunt, who is helping lead the fund’s strategy, said consumers increasingly feel connected to personalities they follow online and are more willing to support products developed by those individuals.
“Consumers are searching for content to engage with, and when a celebrity they like or follow takes them on the journey of creating a product or brand, they genuinely feel part of that process,” he said.
The fund is targeting high-growth consumer sectors including wellness, hydration, beauty and recovery, areas Hunt believes continue to benefit from strong global demand and ongoing innovation.
Rather than backing celebrity endorsement deals, the fund is seeking businesses where talent is deeply involved in product development, brand creation and long-term growth.
According to Hunt, authenticity remains one of the biggest differentiators between successful celebrity-backed brands and those that fail.
“The consumer can see clearly if someone is simply being paid to promote a product,” he said. “The winners are typically the brands where the celebrity has genuinely helped build the business from the ground up.”
The model has attracted support from several prominent Australian investors and business families, reflecting broader interest in alternative investments with global growth potential.
Hunt said consumer brands offered a level of tangibility that many investors found appealing.
“Consumer brands are what we touch, feel, smell and taste every day,” he said. “Our investors understand the growth potential in the model, but they also want to be part of the journey.”
The fund’s rapid progress towards its fundraising target comes amid growing recognition that celebrity influence, when combined with strong commercial execution and scalable business models, can create significant enterprise value.
With several high-profile celebrity-founded businesses generating billion-dollar exits in recent years, supporters of the strategy believe the opportunity remains in its early stages.
