NEW YORK—Looking over a pair of jauntily perched spectacles, Richard Gere sized up his audience and leaned over the auctioneer's podium. Grinning, he spoke slowly and pointedly: "Welcome, welcome, all you rich and homey people who have places to stay tonight. Buy a piece of art tonight and give someone else a home." Uncomfortable and amused twitters swept over the crowd of over 900 guests, who were gathered in SoHo's Skylight Studio to bid on artworks — including a Nan Goldin photograph and a watercolor by Francesco Clemente — for the annual "ARTWALK" auction benefiting the Coalition for the Homeless. "this is for real," the actor continued. "It's not an act, where I could pretend to be homeless and make a movie about it." Gere was one of ARTWALK's co-hosts for the evening, along with his wife Carey Lowell and fellow actor Alec Baldwin, who have both worked closely with the nonprofit group to garner attention for the needs of homeless people living in new York.
Before taking the stage, the recognizable trio mingled with other elegantly clad guests, who snacked on rich macaroni-and-cheese squares drizzled with truffle oil, among other delicacies, and examined the art hung on the walls, which had been donated by the artists and their galleries for a silent auction that ran concurrently with a live one. The pieces on display included a Spencer Tunick photograph of thousands of naked bodies in Australia, three screenprints by Shepard Fairey (each sold for more than 10 times their $150 opening bid), and a small Ed Ruscha bleach-on-fabric picture of an anchor.
The evening's main sponsor, Fendi, also offered a made-to-order handbag for sale — with a starting bid of $2,300. The fashion label even housed the evening's VIP guests in a roped-off portion of the gallery under a huge sculpture of the Fendi logo, which offered a private bar, relief from the crush of the crowd, and couches. in its 16th year, "ARTWALK" attracted a record number of attendees and gallery donations, much to the delight of Coalition board member Barry Berke, who declared "we are here tonight because we want to go out of business" — meaning become unnecessary, with all the homeless sheltered. "We are dedicated to ending this disgrace," he said. The artist honoree for the evening was Pop artist James Rosenquist, a longtime supporter of the Coalition and contributor to the event itself. Rosenquist recalled his own experience being homeless in new York in 1956 and 1957, saying, "does anyone remember, 'Subways are for sleeping'?" Hard to believe as guests watched Rosenquist's "The Hole in the Wallpaper be Beautiful" become the evening's most expensive lot, selling for $150,000 to a single bidder.
other high-selling lots included Wade Guyton's "Untitled" (2010), which produced a bidding frenzy between Baldwin and phone bidders from Europe, Los Angeles, and Australia, finally selling at $49,000, high above its presale estimate of $30,000, to another bidder in the room. Andy Warhol's "Shoes" (1980) — valued at $9,500 — was sold for $17,000 and a heated match developed over Jeff Koons's "Donkey (Colored)," which eventually sold for $11,000. One of the bidders, former "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" actress Caroline Rhea later told ARTINFO, "I am surprised I stopped bidding — I usually just keep going and going!" Laughing, she surmised, "Maybe it's because I have a child now."
Even after all the works had been sold off, the live auction continued. Phillips de Pury contemporary art director Aileen Agopian, serving as auctioneer, continued to solicit goodwill donations for homeless families and children. Ignoring her requests for $500 to send a child to camp or $1,000 to help fund a shelter, guests streamed out of the room, heading for the exits or wandering into the silent auction in a neighboring room. in an attempt to impede the exodus, Richard Gere jumped onstage and urged the crowd to continue making donations.
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