More than six months after the death of legendary former broadcaster John LawsThe private luxury world of one of Australia’s most recognizable radio voices is set to be shared with the public.
The estate of the late broadcaster and his wife, Caroline, have announced major cultural gifts to the Art Gallery of NSW and the Powerhouse Museum, as well as a major multimillion-dollar auction of the couple’s collection through Bonhams Australia.
Laws spent seven decades on air on stations such as Sydney’s 2UE and 2SM. At the height of his career, he was drawing more than two million listeners a day to his morning show.
Former prime minister Paul Keating once described him as “the announcer of the century”. However, his work was not without controversy – he was involved in a “cash for views” scam which sparked a great debate about the media’s influence on consumer choices.
He maintained a loyal audience until his retirement, a year before his death in November 2025, at the age of 90.
Bonham managing director Merryn Schriever said Law is a knowledgeable and insightful collector. A frequent buyer at auction, he was often a client of private dealers and the David Jones Art Gallery.
“In every sense he was master maximalist,” He said. “A lover of unabashed luxury, traditional in some areas, but also systematic and personal.
“He loved craftsmanship: watches, Cartier and Montblanc pens, Hermès and Gucci accessories, Lalique glass, antique furniture and elegant tableware all point to a man who appreciated old-world notions of elegance and status.”
Schriever said the 600 lots comprising 1000 items were surprisingly wide-ranging and also included Chinese antiques, Art Deco glass, Australian paintings, rare natural history books, decorative arts and period furniture.
“John Laws and Caroline weren’t just buying ‘expensive stuff’; they enjoyed putting together the historic and visually layered interiors that have made their home a great opportunity and a joy to be in as we prepare the collection for market,” he said. “The emphasis is less on modern taste than on things that advertise themselves – touching, decorated, beautifully made.”
Before the public sale, his estate made important gifts from the professional and personal life of Law to public cultural institutions.
The Powerhouse Museum he has officially acquired Laws’ gold-plated German Sennheiser microphone, a hallmark of his work which was placed beside his coffin at his state funeral at St Andrew’s Cathedral.
Museum chief executive Lisa Havilah said Powerhouse curators were invited to John Laws’ residence earlier this year to view a collection of items related to his career.
In addition to the golden microphone, the management team selected items related to his achievements, from the ARIA and Radio Business Awards to important people in his career.
“John Laws was a great figure in Australian broadcasting; he had a very long career and created the style of talk radio as we know it today,” Havilah said.
“Items such as the golden microphone, which is strongly linked to Mr Laws’ persona as ‘gold tones’ are part of Sydney’s cultural identity and history. We are honored that these important items are now part of the Powerhouse Collection.”
The Art Gallery of NSW has received a large donation of artworks from the couple’s art collection. It includes four paintings by John Russell, an Australian painter closely associated with French artists of the late 19th century, including Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh and Henri Matisse, as well as two important portraits by Rupert Bunny – one of the most successful Australian artists of his generation.
The collection also includes a major watercolor of England’s Lake District by John Glover, and a painting of the Fish River by Brett Whiteley, created while the artist was staying at the Laws’ Oberon estate in 1979.
The rest of Law’s estate will be dispersed next week in five Bonhams live and online auctions on June 2 and 3. Paintings by Australian artists including Brett Whiteley, Margaret Olley, Ray Crooke and Tim Storrier, as well as an onyx sculpture, Anna I1978, by Joel Elenberg, is estimated to fetch between $300,000 and $400,000.
Among the selection of antiques is a Roman marble statue of Silvanus and ram, circa 2nd century, estimated at $3000–$5000.
A public review will be held inside the Law residence in Woolloomooloo in Sydney from May 29 to June 1, before the hammer falls.
