For immediate release, 17 February 2014
- New works added to Contemporary Art Society Fundraising Gala auction from Turner Prize winners Laure Prouvost and Elizabeth Price
- Guests can also bid on studio dinner hosted by Gary Hume and cooked by Giorgio Locatelli
- Livia Firth announced as Honorary Chair
11 March 2014 Tobacco Dock, London E1W 2SF
The Contemporary Art Society has unveiled further lots that are to be auctioned at their Annual Fundraising Gala on 11 March 2014. These include an editioned work from 2013 Turner Prize winner Laure Prouvost, created especially for the gala, as well as a photographic work from 2012 Turner Prize winner Elizabeth Price. Also offered is the unique opportunity to bid on a bespoke dinner for 10 at Gary Hume’s legendary studio space, hosted by Hume and with food cooked by Michelin star chef Giorgio Locatelli.
The Contemporary Art Society is also pleased to announce that Creative Director of brand consultancy Eco-Age, Livia Firth, has been appointed Honorary Chair of the gala, which raises vital funds to purchase contemporary art for museums across the UK.
This year’s gala is themed ‘RE-‘ and explores ideas of re-cycling, re-creating, re-using and re-imagining. Guests are encouraged to dress according to the theme.
Livia Firth, Creative Director of Eco-Age and Founder of The Green Carpet Challenge, said:
“I am delighted to be part of the gala. This year’s theme of ‘RE-’ is a great way of expanding everyone’s imagination on the power of re-using what we already have around us. I look forward to celebrating an amazing evening and raising money to buy new works of contemporary art for museums across the UK.”
Livia will attend the gala on 11 March alongside the event’s artist ambassadors Jeremy Deller, Fiona Rae, Bob and Roberta Smith, John Stezaker and Gavin Turk.
Previous guests include celebrities Sir Bob Geldof, Jerry Hall, Barry Humphries and Bianca Jagger; leading city figures such as Lord Myners, Franck Petitgas and Sir Stuart Rose; art world figures including Grayson Perry, Julia Peyton-Jones, Sir Nicholas Serota, Gavin Turk, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Mark Wallinger; and contemporary collectors Tiqui Atencio Demirdjian and Anita Zabludowicz.
The gala auction will be auctioneered by Sotheby’s Deputy Chairman Lord Harry Dalmeny, supported by Davina Harbord. Reinforced by the Contemporary Art Society’s reputation for identifying the art stars of the future, the auction allows guests to purchase new works by internationally renowned artists and by more emerging names known only by art world insiders.
In addition to the Hume studio dinner and works by Laure Prouvost and Elizabeth Price, also confirmed for inclusion in the auction are works by Caroline Achaintre, David Austen, Charles Avery, Alice Channer, Angela de la Cruz, Matthew Darbyshire, Haris Epaminoda, Roger Hiorns, Tania Kovats, Michael Landy, Haroon Mirza, Toby Paterson, Mick Peter, Olivia Plender, Fiona Rae, Michal Rovner, Samara Scott, Daniel Silver, Caragh Thuring, Rose Wylie (whose painting of Hollywood actress Penelope Cruz is pictured here), Catherine Yass and many more. Guests can also bid to win a commissioned portrait by artist Sarah Jones.
Sponsors of the 2014 gala include Goldlake, Hine Cognac, Lavazza, Lexington Partners, Pol Roger and Sotheby’s.
Tickets for the gala are £350.00 each or £3,300 for a table of 10 tickets, available from tickets@contemporaryartsociety.org or via the online application form at www.contemporaryartsociety.org/support/annual-fundraiser/
Twitter: @ContempArtSoc
For all media enquiries, contact: David Frossman-Miller, W Communications davidf@wcommunications.co.uk +44 (0)7909 532 722
For all Contemporary Art Society enquiries, contact: Jenny Prytherch, Communications Manager jenny@contemporaryartsociety.org +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