Arts and Entertainment

The Gould Collection of Important Australian Art was made up of 74 impressive works, including Sidney Nolan's Outlaw and Burke Lay Dying, Charles Blackman's The Friends, and Brett Whitleley's Galah.

While many artworks exceeded auctioneers' expectations, none managed to make it into the top five most expensive Australian artworks.

The collection had been owned by Rob Gould, a well known and highly respected art dealer, who specialises in Australian art.

But at the age of 28, he slowly found himself struggling to walk up stairs and get out of low furniture.

He was diagnosed with a degenerative neuromuscular condition called inclusion body myositis.

The disease causes Mr Grant's muscles to waste away to the point that he may one day struggle to breathe and swallow.

"To a degree there was a loss of identity," he said.

"I used to love riding motorbikes, sailing and working on cars and bushwalking and doing active things.