In summer, art galleries aren't the only place to purchase collectible art in The Hamptons and the North Fork. Accompanying the benefit season are a series of art auctions presenting an array of collectible art that allows money to be raised for a worthy cause. New to the art auction circuit is Project MOST of East Hampton, NY. This year, the non-profit educational organization ups its game with "Art at the Ark" being held Sunday, June 24, 2018 at Nova's Ark Project in Water Mill, NY.
Project MOST is relatively unique for after-school programs attached to public schools as fundraising efforts provide major support and allow for scholarships for both students and family participation. Presented as a private party at Nova's Ark in Bridgehampton, NY, the site of the former Art Southampton art fair and summer polo matches, admission is for ticketholders only. The private benefit party offers both a live and silent auction. Proxy bids for the live auction were accepted through Friday, June 22, 2018. Online bids on silent auction art and items continue through Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 8 p.m. with winners notified via text.
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"Chasaki Cave" by Elaine de Kooning, 1998. EdeK Sumi Ink on Paper, 29.5 x 41 inches. Courtesy of Project MOST.
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This year's art auction is organized by Arlene Bujese, an established art dealer and curator well-known in The Hamptons. Moved by the mission of Project MOST—which provides enhanced educational opportunities for children attending the two elementary schools in East Hampton Town via an after school programs—Bujese donated her time and talent and organized the art and artwork at auction. The artist list was selected to portray a historical timeline of artists from Hamptons art history starting with the Abstract Expressionists running through contemporary times, Bujese said.
"I wanted a broad reach from the early days of James Brooks and the generation Abstract Expressionist and the era of Larry Rivers and the New York School to those who followed to Cindy Sherman and her fellow artists to the artists who came a bit later, like Roy Nicholson, up to those artists who are working today," she said.
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"Untitled" by Betty Parsons, 1955. Gouache on paper, 17.5 x 23 inches. Courtesy of Project MOST.
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Providing a sense of the art community matches Project MOST's mission to help develop community, strengthen families and provide a well-rounded childhood experience through art and culture; food and nutrition which includes organic gardening and cooking; local environmental issues that encompass science and technology; and family programming which allows children, parents and families to have fun and learn together.
"People coming to the benefit will be able to have a sense of Hamptons art history and the artist community. Project MOST is about community and the selection of artists gives a sense of the art community and the history that is part of their community."
Contemporary artists with work in the auction include Cindy Sherman, Ross Bleckner, Lynda Benglis, Audrey Flack, James Brooks, Christa Maiwald, George Negroponte, Virva Hinnemo, Hans van de Bovenkamp, April Gornik, David Gesier, Giancarlo Impiglia and others. Modern artists include Betty Parsons, Elaine de Kooning, Jack Youngerman, Ibram Lassaw, Will Barnet, Alfonso Ossorio and more. The full list of artists and art can be viewed online by clicking here.
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"Elizabeth Linnaeus - Gloaming #2" by Roy Nicholson, 2001. Oil and acrylic on linen, 24 x 24 inches. Courtesy of Project MOST.
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"Janus" by Alfonso Ossorio, 1969. Serigraph, 30 x 22 inches. Courtesy of Project MOST.
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While clear that all the art in the auction is a solid acquisition for collectors, Bujese did mention a few of the more unusual offerings. Calvin Albert's Untitled, c. 1950, a graphite and conte crayon on paper, makes reference to surrealism which is uncommon to find in Hamptons art making practices, Bujese said. by Audrey Flack's Eye of Daphne, a lithograph with pastel and color pencil and graphite on paper, is one of her new works, Bujese said.
Gerson Leiber's Spring's Gladsome Vision, 2013, an oil and graphic on linen painting, is an important inclusion, especially in light of the artist's recent passing, Bujese said. She also called out the James Brooks's lithograph Charbon, as an artwork that should be seen in person due to the high quality of its reproduction and as an overall example of Brooks's art. A major donation of art by James Brook and his wife, the artist Charlotte Park, was bestowed to the Parrish Art Museum last year. A major exhibition is in the planning stages.
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"Charbon" by James Brooks, 1970. Lithograph, 16.5 x 24.25 inches. Courtesy of Project MOST.
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In general, the art auction is an opportunity to see and collect art that may not be available otherwise in The Hamptons while supporting a community program that provides a valuable and needed service, Bujese said.
"I think what Project MOST is doing is important and is needed in our society," Bujese said. "Respect for each other and an understanding about art and the communities we are able to create right now is so valuable. I hope to see this program grown and spread to other communities as well."
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"Venus Flytrap Denied" by James DeMartis, 1999. Wrought Steel, 32 x 14 x 5 inches. Courtesy of Project MOST.
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"Poem to the Moon - Lotus Variation" by Carol Hunt, 2007. Acrylic, ink, collage on canvas, 24 x 24 inches. Courtesy of Project MOST.
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BASIC FACTS: "Art at the Ark" takes place on Sunday, June 24, 2018 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Nova's Ark Project in Water Mill. Click here for details on attending or to make a donation to Project MOST. Silent auction bids will be accepted online or in person through 8 p.m. on June 24, 2018. Visit www.projectmost.com for additional information. For ticket possibility, click here.
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