This year’s fundraiser celebrated the diverse ways in which artists travel in their imaginations to alternative realities, sometimes travelling back in time through the history of art, to parallel universes, to the future and beyond. Set in the spectacular Old Vic Tunnels in Waterloo, the evening brought together art world VIPs, supporters and patrons of the Society and their guests in a huge variety of extraordinary costumes to celebrate heroes from the past and fantasies of the future! With two tunnels displaying artworks especially commissioned to reflect the theme of the gala, each fixed to bespoke wooden neon structures, guests were invited to travel from zone to zone before finally finding themselves in the grand baroque-styled dining hall being served by space age waiters.
Reinforced by the Contemporary Art Society’s 100 year old reputation for identifying the art stars of the future, our gala auctions offer guests an unrivalled opportunity to purchase works by internationally renowned artists as well as those who are attracting national and international critical acclaim and who may not yet be known beyond art world insiders. This year’s auction featured a range of specially commissioned original works of art from internationally celebrated, world-class artists including Fiona Banner, Edward Burtynsky, Simon Periton, Conrad Shawcross, Saskia Olde Wolbers, Clare Woods, Toby Ziegler and Jennifer Steinkamp whose work, Ronnie Reagan 3, was the runaway success of the evening, far exceeding its pre-sale estimate to fetch a hammer price of £36,000.
We are very pleased to announce that, thanks to the generous support of all who attended, we raised in excess of £240,000 on the night to benefit the mission of the Contemporary Art Society.