Portraits fetch $2m

Three pieces by legendary artist Charles Frederick Goldie sold for more than $2 million at auction in Auckland on Tuesday. ‘‘It was a terrific auction, with the Goldies selling for $2.186 million,’’ International Art Centre Richard Thomson said. Goldie, who died in 1947, is well known for his portraits of Māori elders and Māori culture. The Calm Close of Valour’s Various Day, a portrait of Māori rangatira Wharekauri Tahuna, sold for $925,000. The addition of a buyer’s premium and GST pushed it above $1.1m. Māori Rangatira with Hei-tiki, signed and completed in 1939, sold for $918,918. A drawing of Sophia Hinerangi, a guide at the Pink and White Terraces, sold for $156,000.