For immediate release, 12 March 2014
Contemporary Art Society celebrates and supports the world of contemporary art with another spectacular fundraising gala
Works by new and internationally-renowned contemporary artists sold last night in gala auction
Over £250,000 taken on the auction night to benefit the charity’s mission, including stand-out prices for Roger Hiorns, Michael Landy and Daniel Silver
Livia Firth and husband Colin Firth joined by high-profile guests including Nancy Dell’Olio, Gavin Turk, Jeremy Deller, Nicolai Frahm + Valeria Napoleone
RE- gala, 11 March 2014
Tobacco Dock, London E1W 2SF
Yesterday evening’s Contemporary Art Society Annual Fundraising Gala auction has taken in excess of £250,000 on the night to benefit the charity’s mission to purchase new works of contemporary art for museums across the UK – for the benefit of audiences up and down the country today and in the future.
The gala, themed ‘RE-‘ explored ideas of re-cycling, re-creating, re-using re-thinking and re-imagining and guests were encourage to dress to theme.
Over 300 guests attended the charity dinner and auction alongside Honorary Chair Livia Firth (Creative Director of Eco-Age and Founder of The Green Carpet Challenge) and her husband Colin Firth. Other VIP guests included Nancy Dell-Olio; high-profile collectors Nicolai Frahm, Valeria Napoleone and Iwan Wirth; artists Jeremy Deller, Elizabeth Price, Fiona Rae, Conrad Shawcross and Gavin Turk; and leading city figures including Mark Stephens.
The auction, auctioneered by Lord Harry Dalmeny of Sotheby’s and supported by Davina Harbord, featured 32 contemporary artworks by emerging and more established names, endorsed by the Contemporary Art Society’s unrivalled reputation for identifying the art stars of the future.
Highlights of the auction included a marble sculpture by Daniel Silver, which sold for a hammer price of £21,000, Michael Landy‘s Saint Catherine Wheel 6, which sold for a hammer price of £16,000, and an incredible blue crystals work by Roger Hiorns, which sold for a hammer price of £20,000.
Caroline Douglas, Director of the Contemporary Art Society, said: “Our annual gala auction is an opportunity to buy outstanding examples of work by some of the most talked about artists right now and, by doing so, to support museums all over the UK. We are incredibly spoiled, living in London, by a superabundance of cultural activity. Outside of London that is not so much the case, and what Contemporary Art Society does is to help redress that balance. We are thrilled with the results of this evening’s auction.”
Livia Firth, Creative Director of Eco-Age and Founder of The Green Carpet Challenge, said: “The evening showcased the fantastic work of the Contemporary Art Society, who bring together talented new artists for the benefit of art museums across the UK. It was a great privilege to be a part of this evening’s gala in my official capacity of Honorary Chair.”
Gavin Turk, Contemporary Art Society Artist Ambassador, said: “The Contemporary Art Society was able to put my work into national museums across the country and, as an artist, that’s really where you want your art to be. It’s how to keep your art alive – it’s where it will survive.”
The gala auction also featured works by recent Turner Prize winners Laure Prouvost and Elizabeth Price, as well as David Austen, Charles Avery, Becky Beasley, Alice Channer, Marcus Coates, Claudia Comte, Keith Coventry, Angela de la Cruz, Matthew Darbyshire, Haris Epaminonda, Roger Hiorns, Tania Kovats, Michael Landy, Christina Mackie, Haroon Mirza, Silke Otto-Knapp, Toby Paterson, Mick Peter, Olivia Plender, Elizabeth Price, Fiona Rae, David Raymond Conroy, Michal Rovner, Samara Scott, Daniel Silver, Caragh Thuring, Rose Wylie and Catherine Yass.Guests also bid to win a commissioned portrait by artist Sarah Jones, and a bespoke dinner for 10 at artist Gary Hume‘s studio, cooked by Giorgio Locatelli.
Sponsors of the 2014 gala included Goldlake, Hine Cognac, Lavazza, Lexington Partners, Pol Roger and Sotheby’s.
www.contemporaryartsociety.org/support/annual-fundraiser/
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+44 (0)20 7017 8412
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Notes to Editors
1. ABOUT CONTEMPORARY ART SOCIETY:
The Contemporary Art Society is a national charity that encourages an appreciation and understanding of contemporary art in the UK. With the help of our members and supporters we raise funds to purchase works by new artists which we give to museums and public galleries where they are enjoyed by a national audience; we broker significant and rare works of art by important artists of the twentieth century for public collections through our networks of patrons and private collectors; we establish relationships to commission artworks and promote contemporary art in public spaces; and we devise programmes of displays, artist talks and educational events. Since 1910 we have donated over 8,000 works to museums and public galleries – from Bacon, Freud, Hepworth and Moore in their day through to the influential artists of our own times – championing new talent, supporting curators, and encouraging philanthropy and collecting in the UK.www.contemporaryartsociety.org/support/annual-fundraiser
2. ABOUT LIVIA FIRTH:
Livia Firth is the Creative Director of Eco-Age Ltd, a brand consultancy that enables businesses to achieve growth and add value through sustainability. Livia is also an Oxfam Global Ambassador, travelling to Ethiopia, Kenya, Bangladesh and Zambia and hosting many high profile events in London. Livia is a founder of Annie Lennox’s ‘The Circle’, a powerful women’s advocacy group. In November 2012 she became a ‘Leader of Change 2012’, awarded by the UN Foundation for Global Change and in September 2013 she received the UN Fashion 4 Development Award.
3. ABOUT ECO-AGE:
Eco Age Ltd is a brand consultancy that enables businesses to achieve growth and add value through sustainability. Founded by Livia and her brother Nicola Giuggioli (CEO) in 2007, Eco-Age now delivers world beating firsts and brand enhancing partnerships with companies, brands and people who share its vision. In December 2009 Livia launched with Eco-Age, The Green Carpet Challenge (GCC(r)) which today is recognised as one of the leading global promoters of the beauty of ethical fashion and sustainability. www.eco-age.com
4. ABOUT GIORGIO LOCATELLI:
Born into a cooking dynasty in Northern Italy, Michelin star chef Giorgio Locatelli is considered by many to be one of the finest Italian chefs in the UK and the world. In 2002 Locatelli and his wife opened Locanda Locatelli in London. The next year he won his Michelin star, an honour he has retained every year since. At Locanda Locatelli, Locatelli serves traditional Italian dishes, emphasising the quality and freshness of the produce as well as adding his own creative touch.www.locandalocatelli.com
5. ABOUT THE RE- EVENT AMBASSADORS:
Jeremy Deller
As the 2004 Turner Prize winner, Jeremy Deller is a major conceptual artist whose artworks span a variety of media, from posters, processions and installations to documentary film. Amongst his best known works are Acid Brass (1997), and The Battle of Orgreave (2001). Deller was chosen to represent Britain at the 2013 Venice Biennale.
Gavin Turk
A ‘Young British Artist’ (YBA), Gavin Turk gained notoriety for his non- conformist MA degree presentation at the Royal College of Art, 1991. This set the tone for the artist’s subsequent work, critiquing the construction of artistic myths of authorship, creativity and genius. Turk’s work has been exhibited in Sensations: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection (1995), the Venice and Istanbul biennials and Gavin Turk Oeuvre at the Tate Britain Sculpture Court Display, London.
Fiona Rae
Royal Academician and British painter, Fiona Rae, is a recognised figure within the Britart Movement and as a member of the ‘Young British Artists’. Rae’s abstract painting came to prominence thanks to iconic shows such as Freeze (1988), curated by Fellow Young British Artist Damien Hirst, and Sensations: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection (1995).
Bob and Roberta Smith
Working under the pseudonym name ‘Bob and Roberta Smith’, Patrick Brill is a British contemporary artist recognised for his sculptures often made from found objects and decorated by his trade-mark bright colours and witty slogans. As a social activist, Bob campaigns to keep art taught in schools and is a Tate Trustee.
John Stezaker
The work of British Artist John Stezaker re-examines the various relationships within the photographic image. In his collages, Stezaker appropriates images found in books, magazines and postcards and uses them as ‘ready-mades’. In September 2012, he was awarded the Deutsche Börse photography prize. Stezaker currently teaches at the Royal College of Art in London and recently won acclaim for his solo show at The Whitechapel Gallery, London.
6. THE RE- COMMITTEE: Heidi Baravalle, Elizabeth Bauza, Philippa Bradley, Daniela Colaiacovo, Caroline Douglas (Director, Contemporary Art Society), Sarah Elson, Antje Géczy, Kira Heuer, Paula Lent, Linda Keyte, Michael King, Audrey Klein, Martina Klemmer, Suling Mead, Valeria Napoleone, Flavia Nespatti, Midge Palley, Veronique Parke, Françoise Sarre Rapp, Dasha Shenkman, Mark Stephens, Cathy Wills, Dina Wulfsohn, Anita Zabludowicz and Jill Zarzycki.
7. ABOUT THE VENUE: Built in the early 19th century as a secure bonded warehouse for the receipt and storage of tobacco from the New World, Tobacco Dock was designed to offer complete security for precious and highly desirable goods. Its new owners have developed this incredible space (comprising over 16,000m2 over two floors) to create London’s newest and most flexible conference and exhibition facility. www.tobaccodocklondon.com
