Nipper sculptures find forever homes
Albany Business Improvement District auction nets $60,000
“We were overwhelmed by the success and love for this exhibit. Everyone really embraced the statues downtown.” — Georgette Steffens, executive director of the Downtown Albany BID
For the past year and a half, each time Lisa Cannon looked out her office window downtown she would see “Bright Side” sitting on all fours, head tilted slightly and tail curled against its back paws.
“He just grew on me and I become attached,” Cannon said.
Friday night, Cannon was finally able to call “Bright Side” hers.
“Sold for $3,800!” the auctioneer shouted while pointing her hand at Cannon.
“He is gonna go right in my living room,” Cannon said, beaming.
Downtown Albany’s Business Improvement District auctioned off “Bright Side” and 14 other 3-foot-tall Nipper sculptures on Friday night.
Since May 2017, the sculptures, which represent Albany’s famous canine landmark, were each customized by local artists.
There was “Frida Fido” a sculpture donning a picture of Frida Kahlo on the forehead, a large butterfly on the back and flowers against the ears. There was “Ecolore” complete with hues of green and blue, with hot air balloons trailing up the body of the canine. There was even an “On Top of Albany” Nipper statue which showcased some of the famous sights of the city.
The sculptures, which were part of the Downtown is Pawesome exhibit, added pops of color around the downtown area — but now they are heading to their forever homes.
Some of the canines are heading to actual homes while other owners are opting to place them in their business.
One new owner is even bringing his Nipper sculpture, “City Lines” to be exact, to RCA Records in New York where Nipper all began.
“He’s our mascot,” Cliff Silver, an employee of RCA who won the bidding for the sculpture, said. “We’re excited to bring him back home. He is very important to us.”
And while the statues may take the shape of dogs, they don’t cost the same as a dog you would get from an animal shelter. The average cost spent, by auctioneers, on an individual sculpture was just more than $4,000.
The major seller of the night was “Lost and Hound” by Kit Collins. The sculpture, which is covered in illustrations depicting the Capitol Region’s iconic places, events and people, sold for a whopping $5,825.
“Lost and Hound” wasn’t the only sculpture that topped the $5,000 mark. “Steampunk Nipper,” complete with a top hat, goggles and machine pieces, sold for $5,100. The “Een grote delft blauwe doggo,” which is covered in the well-known blue-andwhite Delft style, typically found in the Netherlands, was sold for $5,000.
By the end of the night more than $60,000 was spent, in total, on the Nipper statues.
Proceeds from the auction benefit the artists of the statues, the Mohawk Humane Society and the continued revitalization of downtown Albany.
“We were overwhelmed by the success and love for this exhibit,” Georgette Steffens, the executive director for the Downtown BID, said. “Everyone really embraced the statues downtown.”
sara.cline@timesunion.com 518-454-5420