Leading Australian pathologist Dr Colin Laverty, OAM, was best known for his reserach into the human papillomavirus, which led to the development of vaccines for cervical cancer.
The 75-year-old died in 2013, but his legacy extended far beyond that of his services to medicine.
Dr Laverty and his wife Elizabeth shared a 40-year history of acquiring Indigenous art.
Their collection became one of the world's most definitive and important examples of Australian Aboriginal works.
After years of collecting contemporary art, the couple's attention turned towards Indigenous pieces following a visit to World Expo '88 in Brisbane.
"We thought perhaps it was only for tourists, but we got mesmerised by the works that we saw when we went into the communities," Elizabeth said.
"Most of the artists in those days came in from the desert. They lived nomadic lives, so the paintings were very spiritual."
The couple visited remote communities for more than 40 years and acquired pieces by Emily Kngwarreye, Rover Thomas, Paddy Bedford and John Mawurndjul.
The collection of 166 works has been sold as part of Dr Laverty's estate at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.
"They'll be touchstones for the best examples of their type for decades and centuries to come," said Henry Mulholland, Deutscher and Hackett's senior art specialist.
"There are a couple of small boards from 1970, which are of particular interest, because they depict sacred ceremonies," he explained
"Up until that time, ceremonies had not been depicted in a form that was portable".
More than a dozen international bidders, from the Netherlands, France, United Kingdom and United States were represented at the auction.
The most valuable painting, Paddy Bedford's "MotorCar Yard - Blanket Lizard Dreaming" sold for $140,000.
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