Artist Guy Maestri lists Surry Hills apartment

The acclaimed contemporary artist Guy Maestri has listed his Surry Hills apartment while he looks for alternative space around the inner west.

Overlooking the pool and garden, his apartment in Chelsea Court has two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The largest in the early 1990s block has been previously described as a "mini museum-like space," filled with the most amazing, enviable collection of incredible Australian art.

Everything in the home is apparently handmade, found, swapped or gifted.

It's been Maestri's home for the last decade since the Mudgee-born artist paid $590,000 in 2007.

Now he's looking to double his money with a price guide of $1.25 million set for its July 15 auction through BresicWhitney Darlinghurst agents James Peach and Shannon Whitney.

He even stars in the campaign imagery.

Maestri who won the 2009 Archibald Prize for a portrait of musician Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu says he typical approach was to "throw a lot of paint at the canvas."

The agents suggest investors could secured a potential rent of around $900 a week.

He had been a boat builder on the Hawkesbury until 1999 when he went aged 25 to the Julian Ashton Art School followed by the National Art School at Darlinghurst.

Last year Maestri spent time as artist-in-residence at the Margaret Olley Art Centre at the Tweed Regional Gallery, where he began a body of work inspired by objects in Margaret Olley’s home studio re-creation.

This article first appeared in the Sunday Telegraph.