My Nuit Blanche 2009

Here is my top ten list of things to do and see @ Nuit Blanche 2009:

10. Anitra Hamilton, AUDIO PARADE:FIELD RECORDING #4 @ Old City Hall

9. Heather Nicol, IMMINENT DEPARTURE@ Union Station

8. Don't loose my friends

7. Dan Mihalttianu, VODKA POOL @ Commerce Court

6. Visit Starbucks

5. Bill Viola, THE REFLECTING POOL & ANCIENT OF DAYS @ Canadian Tire

4. Erwin Redl, SPEED SHIFT TORONTO @ Toronto Eaton Centre, Underground Pathway

3. Tom Dean, FIRE AND SAUSAGE:SMALL MERCIES @ Liberty St. and Hanna Ave.

2. Jeff Koons, RABBIT BALLOON @ Toronto Eaton Centre

1. Stay Awake

Contemporary Art being produced within Victorian Architecture

Over the past 4 days I've been in The Gladstone Hotel twice....my friend Lori-Ann, a very talented painter has taken a studio there....walking through on Friday, looking at the different studio spaces you felt it really is an organism of creativity in Toronto, not only for artists, we were told that a number of writers use the space as well......and then yesterday myself and two friends were at a studio around the corner from the Gladstone meeting with a contemporary glass artist.... standing across the road looking up at the building you realize there is a wonderful juxtaposition of the old and the new occurring at The Gladstone......

circa 1950

The biggest contemporary art fundraiser in Toronto

Just over a month away Art with Heart is bigger and better than ever.....the works that have been selected by the curatorial committee this year are simply outstanding.  With over 80 lots in the auction by the superstars of Canadian contemporary art, this event is the place to be seen and the place to buy....however the reason for this event must never be forgotten, we all come together on this evening at The Carlu to raise money for Casey House so they can continue the fantastic work they do.......the catalogue will be online soon----check it out at www.artwithheart.ca

115 King Street West

One of my favourite places on King Street West is the Toronto Sculpture Garden.....this art oasis of calm in the huslte and bustle of Toronto recently had a work by the artist collective Instant Coffee, entitled Disco Fallout Shelter (DFS)....they've had some amazing work by very talented artists such as James Carl, Luis Jacob and Marmon and Borins to name a few....above is a picture I took as I walked through this morning...hopefully there will be something there soon!!!!!

Ritchies Auctioneers

I think my friends paddle number was an omen???

A very sad, sad, feeling as I walk into the auction rooms tonight at Ritchies, not only because of how it all ended for us....but because: there was no buzz, no smiles, no laughter, they didn't even laugh when the auctioneer attempted a joke about payment at the beginning of the sale....it really was like the visitation for a funeral. Even the baillifs auction staff didn't look happy, well then again, I wouldn't be either sitting behind a large black laquered dining table being used for the absentee desk....

There were the usual faces in the audience bidding away but again it was very somber, even my friend asked "is the usual feeling at an auction?"

These galleries use to be a hum of activity and so many exciting sales took place at Ritchies, the staff and the clients would feed off of the vibe...you felt like you were part of the event...that history was being made...that we were all part of something special...

Now....I'm standing looking into the coffin ready to close the lid.

The Auction Season

The following are my thoughts on the current art market (as a former auction house insider)....it was to be part of an article that was going to be published in Magenta's new online magazine,  publication of the article was put on hold til the end of the year do to the highly publicized events in August and September surrounding Ritchies.....it comprised various opinions on the economic downturn of the art market....thought it would be fitting as the auction season gets under way.......

From my point of view the recent economic downturn has had an interesting affect on the auction market, as can be seen by savvy buyers being more selective when raising their paddles. Buyers are no longer buying work by unknown artists, they want blue chip Canadian artists such as Jean-Paul Riopelle, Emily Carr, Lawren Harris and Frederick Varley to name a few.  The new mantra is “Good quality art sells and sells well” this can be defined by several key factors:

• Is the work fresh to the market? Has work been shopped around among dealers or offered at auction before? Has it remained in the same collection for a number of years?

• What is the condition? Has there been any restorations, in-painting or alterations to the canvas? Is it in the same condition as it left the artists studio?

• Is it characteristic of the artist’s style? Does the work fall nicely into the artist’s oeuvre? Can be placed within the artist’s history?

• What is it Provenance? When was it created? How did it come into possession of the seller? Has it been documented in a catalogue raisonne?

These are the main criteria that buyers were asking me before an auction. Gone are the days of buying on a whim or because they liked it. The economic uncertainty of the last year has caused people to look auctions as the new stock market. 

Nelson French

Here is an early work from Nelson French, a Toronto based photographer.... we've worked on many successful charity auctions together and are both sitting on the board of a not-for-profit arts organization in Toronto...in this photo, he has captured the fleeting light in these fantastic reflections and the obscure angle of the shot, there are obvious references to Eisenstadt and Kertesz the gods of 20th Century photography:  they are any people, in any city......We are getting ready for a show and his work will be one of many features on my new website, as I form a consulting business on all aspects of the primary and secondary art markets in Toronto;  it is currently being built....I will have it up soon, as someone whispered in my ear recently- you only launch once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Art Crawl

What a fab weekend on Queen Street....Park It Over Your Sofa was fun, wish we raised some more money for Gallery 1313, however we are getting the gallery profile out there to new art buyers....how do you let people know that buying art at a charity auction is amazing 1. its the warm and fuzzy feeling as you help an organization 2. you are getting an original work of art at an affordable price!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my friend bought 3 pieces for just under $300...
I went back a second day and what a wonderful buzz, it felt you where at happening event....I really preferred this over the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, which was a disappointment on the "art" side this year, their focus seems to be moving toward craft(not that there is anything wrong with that).....

Park It Over Your Sofa

Great auction coming up this Saturday as part of the Queen West Art Crawl....check it out @ Gallery 1313, on Queen Street West..........there is always a great buzz of anticipation and fear when ever a charity auction is put together: has the right work been selected? will it sell? the hardest thing for the auctioneer is when the artist is in the audience, and they see the work sell for less or not sell at all. For the up and coming collector these sorts of auctions are a great place to catch the auction fever and to buy an original work of art, the catalog is simply fantastic and the price points are very affordable...I will let you know how it goes!!!!!!!!!!

Select Sale

So, I went to collect my mail this afternoon and what do I find but a Ritchies envelope addressed to me with a flyer in it for Ritchies Auctioneers upcoming Select Sale....THEY ACTUALLY HAD THE GALL TO SEND THIS TO A FORMER EMPLOYEE!!!who was laid off with the rest of the staff>----
They are having a preview and apparently there will be a catalogue posted on-line, with all lots illustrated??? I wonder who the photographer will be??? and who is going to design this on-line catalogue??? who are the specialists cataloguing this sale???....This black and white flyer is very,very basic and again there's a promise of payment within 7 days of collection of monies from the successful bidder. It it so unfortunate that is has come to this........what a mess.

An upcoming sale?

I've just been looking through google to see if there have been any new articles regarding Ritchies auctioneers and this upcoming sale on September 22nd and 23rd, the last one I found was from the 3rd of September...this is going to be a feeding frenzy as people will want to see the body and pick at the carcass....
Recently I visited the website, it still states that a schedule of upcoming sales will be posted as well there remains the bios of staff members that are obviously know longer working there!!!!!
I think we are all curious as to how this sale will look? will there be a catalogue? who will conduct it? will there be phone/absentee bidding?and what about a preview?????

Le, Katie Pretti and a mouse

What an amazing buzz last night @ Le Gallery....Katie Pretti opened her latest show and it is amazing, she is so talented, the majority of the show is already sold out....my mantra has always been quality art"sells and sells well"!!!!after doing the schmooze (kiss, kiss, hug, hug!!!!!!!) at the opening we headed out to dinner, myself and three friends, of course when you haven't seen people in a while there is always a lot to catch up on!!!!! after walking "forever"and my friends change of footwear to flip-flops-we finally found food....wonderful dinner, great conversation etc.....until a little mouse appeared near my friends head on the patio............tables moved, wine glasses broke, red wine was everywhere!!!!!thank god nothing got on my blazer.....check please.

A place to be seen??????

Working at Ritchies Auctioneers for the last nine years was an education in art, people and personalities.  And I believe that this carries over to the art world in Toronto as a whole.  Art openings and auction previews are a place to be seen....do people actually look at the art or objects in an exhibition or sale?????  Don't get me wrong I do go to these events, I was at the Mark Lewis opening at Clark & Faria tonight.  For me it is networking and meeting people, which has become a priority as I've decided to go out on my own and start consulting.  I want  to see the artwork and educate myself about the artist....I will go back to the gallery a number of times over the course of the exhibition to view the work.  Each time I view a show I see something new; the opening or preview is the beginning of the process, art is meant to be looked at. This is especially important if you are a serious buyer.......