An iconic ANZAC painting highlighting friendship in times of war has sold for $420,000 at an auction in Auckland tonight.
Watercolour Simpson and his Donkey by artist Horace Moore-Jones was named after Aussie folk hero John Simpson Kirkpatrick, who ferried injured soldiers through the battlefields of Gallipoli with his donkey before dying in action. But the man in the painting is actually a Kiwi, Dick Henderson, who after Mr Simpson's death carried on his work with the injured.
Tonight the painting went under the hammer at Auckland's International Art Centre. Once all the costs were included the total price was $492,000.
The painting was bought by a New Zealander, so auctioneer Richard Thompson believes it will stay in the country.
"I'd like to see it go into a public collection," Mr Thompson told 3 News earlier this week. "It belongs to New Zealand. It should stay in the nation and it should be publicly displayed."
Artist Moore-Jones returned to New Zealand from the war and painted what he thought was Australian Mr Simpson, based on a photo. Before learning about his mistake, Moore-Jones died in a Hamilton hotel fire.
Despite the confusion and controversy surrounding the players, the image has lived on as a symbol of the ANZAC spirit.
3 News