Watson’s Bay body is identified as Indigenous art dealer as NSW Police search for second mystery man
Watson’s Bay body identified as Indigenous art dealer as NSW Police search for second mystery man
- Tim Klingender, 59, pulled from the water in Sydney Harbour
- A prominent native art dealer was on a fishing expedition
A man found dead in Sydney harbor has been identified as a leading Indigenous art dealer.
The body of 59-year-old Tim Klingender was recovered from the water just after 10 a.m. on Thursday morning by police just south of The Gap at Watson’s Bay, one of the city’s most famous vantage points.
They had been responding to reports of boat debris in the water about 200 yards from land.
It is because police are still looking for another man, 51 years old, believed to be also on board.
The body of Tim Klingender (pictured), 59, was recovered by police just after 10am on Thursday morning just south of The Gap at Watson’s Bay, one of the city’s most famous vantage points.
Police saw wreckage pulled out of the water wearing life jackets among the debris pulled onto their boat.
Mr Klingender, reportedly pulled out of the water wearing only his socks, had gone on a fishing expedition early Thursday morning.
The death of the married father of two has rocked the art world.
“He leaves a huge vacuum for Indigenous art in this country and around the world … he really was the architect of the market we have today,” longtime friend and collaborator, Melbourne gallery owner D’Lan Davidson, one of the world’s leading Indigenous art dealers, told the The Sydney Morning Herald.
Mr. Klingender (pictured) was described by art experts as the “architect of the indigenous art market we have today”
Considered one of the world’s leading dealers in Australian Indigenous art, Mr. Klingender counted wealthy private collectors and Hollywood celebrities, including comedian Steve Martin, among his clients.
He was educated at the University of Melbourne, where he studied fine art, before spending 20 years at Sotheby’s, where he was International Director between 1998 and 2009.
Rescue crews searching for the other man have extended their search from The Gap south along the coast to Wedding Cake Island near Coogee.
‘The sea conditions around the search area are reasonable; there’s a little swell but visibility is pretty good for the Marine Rescue NSW search crews,” said Inspector Steve Raymond of Marine Rescue NSW.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact the Marine Area Command of Crime Stoppers.