MCA to Auction Works by 100 Artists Friday (original) (raw)

Art Thu Oct 22 2015

This year will mark the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's 17th Benefit Art Auction after a five-year break. Works by more than 100 artists, ranging from painting to sculpture, will be included in the auction that begins this Friday with over 500 guests in attendance.

The MCA has a successful past with previous art auctions for the museum. In 2010, the museum raised $2.8 million from bidders and was able to spread out the proceeds for several fiscal years. "All of the money goes right back into supporting the MCA's core mission," says Michael Darling, James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator, whose role includes fundraising for programs and education within the museum.

The art market and the public's knowledge of auctions have noticeably shifted in the last five years. "People seem to be even more used to bidding at auctions and especially looking at things online and bidding online. eBay has become that much more prevalent," said Darling. "People use the web so much more to find what they are looking to buy. I think we are really benefiting from that." The MCA is utilizing the upscale bidding website, Paddle8, for its art auction benefit.

The museum has curated and cataloged an invaluable list of artists for bidders from Chicago and beyond. Nick Cave, Theaster Gates, Kim Gordon, Barbara Kasten, Chris Ware, and Alec Soth are just a few of the artists secured out of a list of 114.

The event will begin with cocktails and a silent auction on Friday. Later in the evening guests will be directed to a lavish tent in the Sculpture Garden where dinner will be served. Following dinner, the live auction, presenting 15 important works, will begin. Around 10pm, guests will return to the museum for dessert and to place their final bids on the silent auction. While bidding is encouraged, interested individuals can purchase works at a standard price as well.

The members' auction preview is tonight from 6 to 8pm, and the dinner and auction (tickets start at $750) is Friday from 6:30 to 11pm. For information on tickets, call 312-397-4017. The MCA is located at 220 E. Chicago Ave.

Bidders can view an online preview on Paddle8 or view the works in the MCA galleries Thursday and Friday. The cochairs for the auction are Marilyn and Larry Fields and Barbara Bluhm-Kaul and Don Kaul. The auction is sponsored by Sotheby's.