Renowned art dealer and authority on Aboriginal art and passionate fisherman, OAS member Tim Klingender, died in a tragic boating accident on 20 July 2023 while fishing with his friend Andrew Findlay off Watsons Bay, Sydney.
A graduate of Geelong Grammar, Tim trained at the University of Melbourne where he graduated with a BA (Fine Art). He joined Sotheby’s where he established firstly a Contemporary Art Department for Sotheby’s in Australia in 1994 and then founded Sotheby’s Aboriginal Art Department in 1996. He toured highlights of these sales internationally each year to cities including New York, London, and Paris prior to their auction in Australia as International Director for Sotheby’s from 1998 to 2009. He established Tim Klingender Fine Art in 2009.
Tim was widely regarded and respected for establishing an ethical international market in the field of Australian Indigenous Art. He nurtured Indigenous artists such as Emily Kngwarreye and Rover Thomas.
Over the decades Tim assisted in developing some of the finest collections of Australian Indigenous Art. As well as Australian Indigenous Art, he had a broader interest in many areas of art including Oceanic and Australian Art.
Tim continued to champion the collecting of Aboriginal art, having developed Sotheby’s moves to hold the first major Aboriginal Art Auctions in London in 2015 and the United States in 2019. He had recently returned from New York prior to his death.
Australian Aboriginal Art dealer D’Lan Davidson has written, “Tim Klingender was first and foremost a friend, a mentor, but ultimately a fiercely competitive yet highly respectful industry colleague.
We spent times not only having fun together (particularly after sales and auctions), but we also spent times arguing about industry issues – which generally speaking, he most often was right.
It was through Tim’s unrivalled energy and unbridled passion that I became most enthusiastic about the market for the work of this great nation’s First People – the art that I had fallen in love with upon my return to Australia from America in 1999.
There was a clear focus, and there was a clear understanding – of the incredible output in creativity which is singular globally. And Tim taught me about the important foundational aspects that Community Art Centre Provenance provides, and why it is and must be maintained as the cornerstone of this industry.
If it weren’t for Tim, I simply would not be in this position I find myself today. And for that I am forever thankful. His incredible pioneering work will be carried on.”