Auction shows there’s more to art than Banksy
“I haven’t inspected all the pieces that closely, but I don’t think there’s a shredder in there,” she said with a smile. She was referring, of course, to the stunner last week when a painting by the infamously prankish British artist self-destructed right after being sold for $1.4 million. The ICA’s 38th annual Connect & Collect auction has no Banksy on its catalog, alas, but that might be a relief for potential bidders hoping to take their artwork home intact.
And despite all the buzz that Banksy generates, the ICA’s auction exhibition illustrates that there’s a lot more to the contemporary art world than one artist. Scores of artists have donated pieces to the fundraiser, which includes a silent auction party on Oct. 13 and a live auction on Oct. 27, where the highlight will likely be a 1997 glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly that is valued at $25,000. (Two other eye-catching pieces in the live auction: a fluttering pheasant feather controlled by an electric motor by Alan Rath and an actual digital “eye” that is part of an unnerving mixed media piece by Chris Eckert.)
And while the live auction can get crazy with bidding wars, Kimball likes to point out that this Saturday’s silent auction is where many collectors — especially newbies — are likely to make surprising finds at a good value. It’s also a great way to support the region’s art ecosystem, since so many of the pieces are by local artists including Genevieve Hastings, Tony May, Charlotte Kruk and Pancho Jimenez. The silent auction party runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at the gallery at 560 S. First St. and is free to attend (bid cards are available for $50).
And if you want a behindthe-scenes look at this year’s auction, Kimball is hosting the last of three hourlong “Coffee with Cathy” events at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Go to www.sjica.org for details.
FILM LOVERS DELIGHT >> Movie lovers are already getting a bountiful fall harvest, with both the San Jose International Short Film Festival and the Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival getting underway this week.
Now in its 10th year, the
San Jose fest boasts 130 shorts — movies that are anywhere between 2 and 30 minutes in length — from around the world at Santana Row’s CineArts theater. The festival opens Thursday with a block of six films, followed by an after party. (The premiere screening at 7 p.m. is sold out, but tickets are available for an encore presentation at 9:15 p.m.) The festival continues through the weekend, with a “best of the fest” block Sunday evening. Get tickets and schedule details at www.sjsff.com.
The 27th annual Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival kicks off its four-week run Friday with a screening of “Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me,” followed by a reception and discussion with Manny Davis, the entertainer’s son, an actor Obba Babtaunde at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto. The centerpiece of the festival will be the film, “Standing Up,” (Oct. 25 in Palo Alto and Oct. 27 at the AMC Saratoga 14 in San Jose). It will include a discussion with director
Jonathan Miller and the three comedians who the documentary follows.
Get ticket information and see the
rest of the schedule at www.svjff.org.