Both the auctions were a huge success, the online auction particularly surpassing expectations and selling every single lot. The Live Auction was a brilliant event with many of our friends and clients braving a massive swarm of bees (swarming outside the gallery on the night) as well as the heat to get their bids in.
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from left: Bill Pryde, Natalie Suggit, Louise Linley Adams and Jill Hutchings
in the gallery before the auction. |
Firstly we would like to start by saying a big "Thank you" to everyone who bid in or helped at either of the gallery's two auctions.We are very greatful to everyone involved for the tremendous amount of support they gave to the gallery over this period.Thanks also to the artists who very kindly donated work to the auction, some of which did extremely well under the hammer.
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| David Poole, Sailing on the Exe- one of the great successes of the auction |
Our special thanks go to our auctioneer, Dominic Kemp, who's stamina on the night was extraordinary (taking bids on over 135 lots, lasting a good two hours!) . Bidding was, at times, very heated and Dominic's good humored manner did the gallery proud.His capacity for retaining trivia was also tested on the night as, with each lot, Dominic delivered a witty resume of each artist to keep us informed about the work we were bidding on.
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| Dominic Kemp, gallery auctioneer- differently attired on the night unfortunately |
The money we raised from the auction will go towards the many refurbishment works which will be taking place this summer in July and August. In September the gallery will re-open with the celebratory group exhibition Rejuvenation downstairs and Thirza Kotzen The Space Between upstairs. To commemorate this new, rejuvenated Curwen Gallery, Brendan Hansbro has produced a wood engraving taking inspiration from our Unicorn logo. The new unicorn (above)is a hardened stud, trampling on weeds and looking tough...an accurate symbollic likeness to the re-opened gallery come September, we hope...
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| Brendan Hansbro, Curwen and New Academy Unicorn, wood engraving, 5x6 cm |
