I went to an auction last night. Not any old auction; an auction of fine and decorative art, all very upper crust and so on. The venue was the very beautiful Alphen boutique hotel in Constantia, one of the original homesteads in the Cape.
The purpose of going was to see if my friend's exquisite Van Wouw statuette sold, but I also wanted to see what these events were like in real life, having watched many on the TV (Cash in the Attic). A very interesting collection of people were there. Some were obviously moneyed and liked to show it. The tan was evidence of many weeks spent sunning oneself on the deck of the yacht in the Med, the hat strategically placed below one eye, the scarf it was apricot - no wait! That's "You're so vain!" - but I'm sure you get the picture. Very dashing - and that was just her. He had a light blue probably silk suit with some fancy white shoes that were definitely not Nike. They sat, heads bowed and eyes on the catalogue and from time to time the number would be casually waved. Neither lifted their head or gave any indication that they were participating in the auction, even when the bid was successful. Eventually they just closed the catalogues and left to pay and probably go out for a celebratory dinner.
A Pierneef came up and it certainly was nothing to write home about, but the bidding was enthusiastic although not over the top. The lady whose bid was successful was so excited she was running on the spot and pumping the air with her fist - it was a delight to see such emotion, although maybe the excitement waned when she actually took possession of the painting and saw that the next Pierneef was so much better. However, there is no accounting for taste.
A hideous cheap-looking cupboard which had had its doors painted with dollar signs by Andy Warhol in the 60s was against the wall next to me and it was amazing that someone actually bid about R160 000 for it. I would have chopped it up for firewood.
There were some really beautiful artworks which didn't sell and some which did, ranging from R40 000 to R450 000, so there was no lack of funds in the room. It was surprising what didn't sell, but I suppose that is the risk of an auction. The right person just has to be there.
I will definitely go again, even if just for the people-watching. I think there were an awful lot who were there for the same purpose!
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