A shared love of art
GETTING in on the booming contemporary art market can be a daunting endeavor, particularly for neophyte collectors. In response, the Museum of Contemporary Art has come up with “Fresh,” a summer party and auction that offers a range of artwork from veterans such as Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari and Allen Ruppersberg as well as younger artists such as Violet Hopkins and Joe Bradley.
Taking place this Saturday night at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, “Fresh” has more than 320 photographs, sculptures, paintings and drawings filling a space the size of an airport hangar. Among the artists represented are many who are featured in MOCA’s exhibitions and permanent collection, including Mexico’s Eduardo Abaroa and Chile’s Magdalena Atria, whose works are on display at MOCA Grand Avenue’s “Poetics of the Handmade.” The works up for auction can be viewed on MOCA’s website and in person at a free preview through Friday.
“Just coming to the preview is an experience in itself -- you walk into the room and just, pow!, there’s all this great work right in front of you,” says auction chair and MOCA trustee Jennifer Simchowitz. “And as much as it’s a fundraiser, ‘Fresh’ is also a friend-raiser in that it’s meant to appeal to a very broad range of people.”
In contrast to MOCA’s other auctions, at which opening bids can start at $20,000, guests Saturday have an opportunity to pick up a piece by a relative newcomer such as Aaron Morse, a mid-career artist like Judy Ledgerwood or even a Ruscha for between $700 and $10,000. (One piece that may blow through that ceiling, however, is a Mark Ryden pencil-on-paper piece that has already received bids and features a frame handmade by the lowbrow legend.)
Though absentee bids are being accepted, Simchowitz suggests that serious collectors attend the event, as silent auctions sometimes mutate into spirited live auctions for high-demand pieces, as was the case two years ago at the inaugural “Fresh.” Attended by 1,000 guests and featuring art by Elliott Hundley, Mark Grotjahn and Martin Eder, that event raised $500,000 toward MOCA’s exhibition and acquisition funds. “Fresh” organizers anticipate a similar number this year, but at the same time, MOCA Assistant Director Ari Wiseman is quick to emphasize that “Fresh” is not about setting records or boasting about dollar amounts. “The idea is for everyone to come and see works from galleries from all over the world -- the U.S., Europe, South America -- in a way that no one could on their own. Collecting is a big mystery for a lot of people -- it’s sometimes intimidating and confusing navigating the gallery system -- and the fact that the works in this auction are being filtered through the museum make this auction a really rare and great opportunity.”
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‘Fresh’
MOCA’s summer party and silent auction
Where: Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave., L.A.
When: Public preview, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Friday. Party and auction begin at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Price: Preview is free; tickets for party and auction are $120 in advance, $150 at the door.
Info: (213) 633-5318, www.moca.org/auction
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