Perks of being an art dealer no. 42
June 30 2011
Picture: BG
Apologies for the lack of blogging lately - it's been quite busy at the Masterpiece fair.Â
Today was the sort of day where you think - 'how lucky I am to be an art dealer'. First, we saw an ultra-rare acquisition at the gallery. Then my colleague Emma Rutherford sold two pictures at the fair (so that's Emma 3 - Bendor & Philip, 0), and we had what we call in the trade 'meaningful conversations' with other potential clients. But really, if you're an art evangelist like me, it's just nice to talk about pictures with people, whether they buy them or not. And today there was plenty of talking.
Finally, in the evening we had a charity gala in aid of Clic Sargent. There were cocktails, celebrities, a band fronted by F1 team boss Eddie Jordan (he's in the funny shirt, above, playing the spoons), and a silent auction with various enticing lots. One of them was a ride in the two seater Spitfire seen in the photo. And the winning bidder was... me!
There are few things I'm more obsessed with than art, but Spitfires are one of them. So although it was (gulp) not cheap, I'm now rather tragically excited. I was so keen to secure the lot that, as the clock ticked down, I inadvertently bid against myself. Which was a bit stupid, but as the auctioneer said, it's all for a good cause...
Now I just need to sell every painting on our stand to help pay for it. And I also need to check the small print - I'm assuming that 'a ride in a two-seater Spitfire' means it actually takes off...
