No, it’s not a pretty sight at all. Australia’s top auction houses are elbowing one another out of the way for the right to sell the $10 million Mertz collection of Australian art which will return to its homeland after 35 years in the U.S. “It’s an extraordinary collection of iconic Australian images,” said Sotheby’s Managing Director Paul Sumner. The sale’s expected to be the most lucrative art auction Australia has ever seen: “Whichever firm wins will not only earn more than $1 million in commissions but will have the chance to sell the last big collection of Australian art still in ‘private’ hands.” – Sydney Morning Herald