Brenda Atkinson: Cultural Sushi
Last Sunday’s fundraising auction at the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg was not, as one audience member was heard to whisper, “anything like Sotheby’s”. Technical hitches led to a late start; Albie Sachs had to deliver the opening address because hype guru Dali Tambo was “running on African time”; and jazz maestro Abdullah Ibrahim pulled out at the last minute, apparently unhappy with the piano.
But if the equipment was less than state- of-the-art, there were other art issues at stake. Organised by the Goodman in conjunction with Nedbank and Sun International for the Arts and Culture Trust (Act), the auction was less about stiff upper lips than loose wallets, and as the drinks flowed, so did the cash.
The 78 works were donated in the interests of furthering investment in local infrastructure for the visual arts. While some works received lower biddings than expected, others cracked the commercial nod: top bid of the evening came in for a Cecil Skotnes, at R28 000; Penny Siopis’s History painting sold for R19 000, and Pat Mautloa’s A little window soared within minutes from R1 800 to R8000.
Amusingly, an offer of a weekend at the Lost City fetched a bid of R3 000 – nearly six times as much as the lowest bid for an art work. The crowd that assembled and spilled out of the auction area was a relaxed mix; from Mac Maharaj to Marianne Fassler, everybody joined in the spirit of an essentially experimental event. At final count, the auction pulled in R350 000, all of which will be used to sponsor visual arts projects identified by Act.
Trust chairman Andries Oliphant says he’s “thrilled by the public’s response, and by the artists’ generosity – the event was really a trial run to extend the partnership between business, government, and the artists themselves.”
The trust plans to organise two annual fundraising events, each for different art forms. Interest from the Trust’s current capacity of R3-million, and public donations through Nedbank’s Affinity financial packages will supplement funds raised.