Artnet Auctions is proud to partner with the International Fine Prints Dealers Association (IFPDA) to Editions for a causea sale of coveted prints and multiples to benefit relief initiatives in Ukraine.
All IFPDA revenue from the auction, in addition to 50% of Artnet’s buyer’s premium, will be allocated to the Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) and World Central Kitchen (WCK).
GEM works as a first responder to disaster relief, bridging the gap between first response and development, and implementing practices to ensure sustainable development. WCK has built the largest food relief operation in Ukraine, providing meals in over 230 towns and villages.
“The art world is such a generous and supportive community and I’m glad we can partner with IFPDA for humanitarian relief in Ukraine,” said Conner Williams, Head of Prints and Multiples at Artnet Auctions. . “I have known many participating IFPDA members for many years, counting them as friends and mentors, so I am extremely grateful that they entrusted Artnet with such a meaningful and important auction. I hope everyone who participates will understand the impact they have.
On the occasion of this important auction, Williams spoke with three members of the IFPDA board of directors: the director of Frederick Mulder Ltd, Anne-Françoise Gavanon; owner and director of ULAE, Larissa Goldston; and gallery director Leslie Feely, Dakota Sica. Read on to find out the panel’s favorite works during the sale and their views on art in times of crisis.
Richard Serre, Horizontal inversion IX, 2017. Live for bidding in IFPDA x Artnet: Editions for a Cause.
What inspired IFPDA to partner with GEM and WCK?
Anne-Francoise Gavanon: GEM and WCK are charities doing amazing work not only in Ukraine but also in neighboring countries. The first common thread is that both work as first responders in crises and disasters: WCK by providing a nutritious meal and GEM by providing essentials such as food, water, medicine and others. essential products. The second is that both are nimble, operate with very low overhead, and more importantly, have established strong relationships with local decision makers.
How does this mission of IFPDA align with the goals of Editions for a cause?
Anne-Francoise Gavanon: IFPDA is synonymous with excellence, research and professionalism. Additionally, IFPDA has a charitable arm, the IFPDA Foundation, whose purpose is to advance research, education, and dialogue. All prints donated to Editions for a Cause are beautiful works of art selected by some of the best dealers and print publishers to serve an important cause. One last point for newbies: collecting prints is a great inexpensive way to start collecting art.
What is the power of art in times of crisis and conflict?
Larisa Goldstone: Historically, art has risen to meet the challenge of large-scale conflict and crisis in one form or another. Over the past hundred years, there are several examples of how print has played a role. For example, during the Great Depression, the WPA (Work’s Progress Administration) was created and graphic studios were created to help unemployed artists. The AAA (Associated American Artists), founded in 1934, helped stimulate the art market by inviting artists to make limited edition prints for sale. During protests against the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s, posters were used to educate and persuade people to believe in the atrocities of war. And in the 1980s, printmaking played an important role in the AIDS crisis by using reproduction to induce change.
Jim Diner, ghost dress, 1992. Live for bidding in IFPDA x Artnet: Editions for a Cause.
What is your favorite work in the sale, and why?
Anne-Francoise Gavanon: Oh my God, I love it so much! My preferences go to ghost dress by Jim Dine and Flip Horizontal IX by Richard Serra, donated by Novak Contemporary Art and Gemini GEL respectively, both works showing a wonderfully textured surface.
I can read both works as a reflection of the current conflict in Ukraine. volume ghost dress talks about the issue of the public and private sphere, and how ordinary Ukrainian men took up arms to defend their country. They are civilians, not trained soldiers, and so in a sense they wear their ghost civilian robes at the front. The black and white of the Serra immediately made me think of the good and bad sides that conflicts exacerbate.
Dakota Sica: My favorite job in sales is Beirut-Hell Express by Etel Adnan which was generously donated by Galerie Lelong & Co. It is a wonderful and joyful image that reminds me of how connected we are all in one way or another.
Larisa Goldstone: There are so many beautiful pieces in the auction. I think in this case, however, I choose Uniform by Georg Baselitz. It evokes, for me, a haunting reminder of the war, knowing how he saw Germany after WWII. Because this auction aims to raise awareness and funds for the war in Ukraine, I think it is appropriate.
Etel Adnan, Beirut-Hell Express, 2021.
Live to bid in IFPDA x Artnet: Editions for a Cause.
Why prints? What excites you most about printmaking and publishing?
Larisa Goldstone: Ever since I was a child, I have been breathing in the smells of printing workshops. Spending time in the ULAE studio as a child was the only way for me to see my father. You could say that engraving is in my blood.
I’ve always loved paper – the portability, the texture, the variability. Then there is the collaborative element. Any artist who has truly embraced printmaking will tell you that their experience in the printmaking studio has altered and advanced the work they produce in their own studio. Printmaking is about layering, and that layering is very different from the layering that occurs in a painter’s studio. In his personal studio, a painter makes a mark and this mark is immediate and it is his. In the engraving workshop, when a mark is made, it is not only the mark of the artist but also that of his collaborators. When someone embraces the possibilities that printmaking has to offer, the collaboration between artists and printers can be extremely rewarding.
What advice would you give to a beginning collector of prints and multiples?
Dakota Sica: Always buy what you like, trust your instincts and you can never go wrong.
On a more practical note, make sure the condition is good. Do your own due diligence on other examples of the edition being sold to ensure you are paying a fair price. Collecting prints is a great way to break into general art collecting. There are many different entry points and it’s a wonderful way to collect works by the artist you love without being restricted by price limits.
Follow Artnet News on Facebook:
Want to stay one step ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to receive breaking news, revealing interviews and incisive reviews that move the conversation forward.