22nd Annual Benefit
Art Auction for Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions
15 September 2001
Los Angeles Contemporary
Exhibitions presented its 22nd Annual Benefit Art Auction on Saturday
15 September 2001.
The 22nd Annual Benefit
Art Auction included approximately 65 lots auctioned live at Los
Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions. The Auction was represented by
artwork in most media, with an emphasis on paintings, photography,
prints, and drawings. This year’s contributions included works
by Lynn Aldrich, Skip Arnold, Artclub 2000, David Askevold, Uta
Barth, Enid Baxter Blader, Keith Boadwee, Jesse Bransford, Matthew
Byloos, Heather Cantrell, Paul Cherwick, Anne Collier, Claude Collins-Stracensky,
Miles Coolidge, Diana Cooper, Jacqueline Cooper, Michael Coughlan,
Marcel Dzama, Mari Eastman, Neil Farber, Michelle Fierro, Katie
Grinnan, Andrew Hahn, Rebecca Horn, Salomon Huerta, Giovanni Jance,
Cisco Jimenez, Chris Johanson, Carole Kim, Soo Kim, Brandon LaBelle,
Charles LaBelle, Sue de Beer and Laura Parnes, Euan Macdonald, Florian
Maier-Aichen, Malerie Marder, Kelly McLane, Maynard Monrow, Florian
Morlat, Ivan Morley, Rebecca Morris, Sandeep Mukherjee, Dave Muller,
Matt Mullican, D’Ette Nogle, Todd Oldham, Robert Olsen, John
Pearson, Hirsch Perlman, Mike Pierzynski, Adam Putnam, Jonathan
Pylypchuk, Halsey Rodman, Adam Ross, Dean Sameshima, Danny Shain,
Jim Shaw, Pauline Stella Sanchez, Jacquelyn Tough, Tam Van Tran,
Shirley Tse, Spencer Tunick, Margo Victor, Mary Weatherford, Leslie
Wilkes, and John Williams.
The Auction itself is
a spirited social event in which collectors of contemporary art
mingle with many of the artists whose work is available. The Auction
was styled by Neil Guthrie, proprietor of Gillyflowers in Silverlake,
who created a unique visual motif to infuse and set-off the event.
The auction was peppered with raffle-style drawings featuring unique
items of value from Arp, artext, Amoeba Records, The Beach Hco.,
Gucci, Loy and Ford, Matt Murphy Hand Bags, Shiseido Studio, Suzanne
Felsen Jewelry, Svetlana Care for Skin, and Quinn Designs, so even
an unlucky bidder might go home with a stylish gift. In addition,
the evening’s biggest spender was awarded with a version of
Artstacks, a highly evolved software for managing art inventories.
All guests also received complimentary gift bags containing an assortment
of interesting items from Altoids, AXA Nordstern Art Insurance,
Elle, Gregory Daniels, index, Shiseido Studio, Svetlana Care for
Skin, Scentsible Life, Paper, Powerhorse USA, and Plastica. The
bidding was followed by dessert and coffee as well as an exclusive
afterparty at 1650, situated around the corner from Los Angeles
Contemporary Exhibitions. The Auction has been a "not-to-be-missed"
event on the calendars of area collectors and art aficionados for
two decades, and this year’s Auction added an unforgettable
affair to an already extraordinary tradition.
A catalogue with photographs
of each auction lot was available prior to the event and provided
instructions for live and proxy bids. The catalogue marked the third
in a series of collectable catalogs produced each subsequent year
for the Annual Benefit Art Auction. The volume's unique design makes
it both an informative record of the event and an exquisite book-object.
The 2001 catalogue featured a limited edition cover by Jim Shaw
entitled "Dream Object (I Looked at a house we wanted to buy,
then went to Von’s supermarket & while waiting at an appliance
counter, I realized I was naked. I apologized to the saleswoman
about being nude & she disappeared behind the counter. I waited
about ten minutes then realized I was actually wearing undershorts
& rapped on the glass counter where the salesperson had been
hiding. She angrily said I shouldn’t go out in public like
that but I noticed in the back room a number of men working out
wearing shorts and setting up a disco. I found a Geo. McManus cartoon
in the "Wall Street Journal.")." Cover printing was
generously donated by Aardvark Printing who continue the tradition
of letter press. In addition, Fine Arts Printing contributed high
quality, full color printing for the catalogue. The catalogue was
designed by Meryl Pollen and auction-item photography by Scott Lindgren.
Additional support for
the 22nd annual Benefit Art Auction in the form of framing donations
came from: Art Frame, Canvas Peddler, Curatorial Assistance, Custom
Framing, Finishing Studio, J. Cooper Picture Framing, Jerry Solomon
Enterprises, and Ota House. A generous donation of frames came from
Brian Butler at 1301PE. Packing and handling support came from Cooke’s
Crating. Additional printing services were donated by West Coast
Printing, Photobition, and Nardulli. Advertising and promotional
support came from: Artforum, index, tema celeste, and Eyestorm.
Event photography was donated by Lisa Gizara and event production
came from Johnny Camacho, Marc Smith, and Cedd Moses of two-one-three.
Christine Irwin was the evening’s DJ.