DUNDAS VALLEY SCHOOL OF ART AUCTION is OVER!
April 11, 2010 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Yesterday, we attended the 40th Annual Art Auction at the Dundas Valley School of Art (DVSA)-a major fundraiser. There were hundreds of pieces available for the silent auction (8 of mine in the jewellery division) and 52 in the live auction.
This was our first time at this event altho we have often submitted bids in the silent auction section in years past. The offerings included paintings, pottery, sculptures, textiles, etchings, jewellery, glassworks, and so on. So the proverbial “something for everyone!” The oldest piece (1939) was an oil of a Quebec scene by Willard Morse Mitchell. He is known for his miniature watercolours. My son and his wife have several of these and they are quite delightful.
This was fun evening and it was informative, as we discussed art works with many different people. There were 3 pieces that we would have liked to own in the live auction but they were sold at prices beyond our budget. So another learning curve for us. It was a cool start to this auction but everything quickly heated up and prices were quite high I thought. But I am not that informed especially about contemporary art, so perhaps not. Anyway it was evident that art is hot! hot! hot!
A wood cut that I particularly wanted went at a price beyond what I was willing to pay. I had researched the artist and liked his work. The only gratifying thing was that an art appraiser indicated that it went for far more than it should have. But then this is the nature of auctions, isn’t it-to create a tension, and a need to win!! I think that the DVSA had a very successful fundraising event.
I did get 2 pieces in the silent aucton-an etching (and not for a lot of money) of Pines by Alice Branwell who is British and a small green oil of houses that spoke to me (this was a lot of money). Unfortunately another person wanted the oil as well and we spent the last 2 minutes before the closing of the bids, trying to outnumber each other. I won but I am not sure if I really did altho my philosophy is that sometimes you get a bargain and sometimes you don’t and in the end everything averages out!!
It is a small painting in green, and I do like it very much. And there is another painting on the other side. Now I have to decide which side I prefer. All in all a great evening and an event that we will attend again, hopefully more informed about art.