BHP Billiton to sell art collection

London-based BHP Billiton plans to auction off its extensive collection of Australian art. The auction will take place in late August in Sydney.

The 300-piece collection consists of works painted after the Second World War and is expected to fetch more than A$2 million.

The collection was accumulated over 30 years, before Aussie miner Broken Hill Proprietary merged with London-based Billiton in early 2001.

The works include paintings from the 1960s and ’70s by Arthur Boyd, Lloyd Rees, Albert Tucker, Jeffrey Smart and Fred Williams. These five paintings alone are expected to fetch A$1 million.

The collection also includes works by young, contemporary artists and a selection of rare prints by Aussie artists Brett Whiteley and Tim Storrier.

The auction coincides with the company’s relocation to a new global headquarters in Melbourne.

The collection will be on view at Christie’s galleries in South Yarra from Aug. 15- 17.