April 29, 2004

Sotheby’s lends hand to benefit Block Museum

Sotheby’s, the internationally known auction house, will lend a hand at a benefit buffet supper and auction at the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art.

Titled “Auction Block,” this benefit will begin in the Block Museum’s Main Gallery at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 20. Proceeds from the auction will support acquisitions, exhibitions and scholarships.

At 7:15 p.m., Sotheby’s will conduct a live auction of original works of art created for the benefit by five well-known Chicago artists and Northwestern faculty members including William Conger, Jeanne Dunning, Judy Ledgerwood, Ed Paschke and James Valerio. Proceeds from the sale of their artworks will support the museum’s acquisitions and exhibitions.

Attendees also will have the opportunity to bid on more than 40 original prints during a silent auction. The silent auction will include lithographs, etchings and engravings by well-known artists such as Leonard Baskin, Leon Golub, Robert Indiana and Ben Shahn. Silent auction bidding on some prints will begin as low as $200. The artworks being sold come from a grouping of original prints donated to the museum in 1999 for the specific purpose of sale to enhance the Block’s permanent collection and provide student scholarships.

“As an institution dedicated to the study and collection of works on paper, the Block Museum’s benefit will not only support the museum financially, but also advance our mission of encouraging the collection of original works of art by our audiences,” said David Robertson, director of the Block Museum.

Chicago’s Calihan Catering will provide a buffet supper for the event.

“We are delighted to engage John Calihan’s culinary art to ‘Auction Block,’” said Christine O. Robb, chair of the Block Museum Board of Advisors. “The evening will prove to be a major social occasion for the North Shore and we are anticipating 300 attendees.”

The May 20 event also will include musical entertainment and refreshments.

Admission is a $100 donation per person. Reservations for “Auction Block” are required by calling (847) 491-7540.

For more information, contact Burke Patten at (847) 467-4602 or bpatten@northwestern.edu.