Contemporary Art Auction at Leland Little Auctions

 


ART CONTEMPORARIES
Leland Little holds inaugural contemporary art auction

by Katherine Poole | artwork courtesy of Leland Little Auctions (Muzi Quawson, Union City Blues, Brooklyn, New York)

Larry Wheeler, who served as the Director of the North Carolina Museum of Art from 1994-2018 is one of a dynamic group of collectors of contemporary art in North Carolina. And, as collections amass, so does the desire to bring these works to auction to inspire new collectors. But where? “Why should we rely on New York?” says Wheeler. “Several of us who actively collect contemporary art from around the world have lamented that there is no legitimate auction resource in the region to stimulate the secondary market.”

Enter Leland Little Auctions, the premier auction house of the Southeast located in Hillsborough, who enthusiastically embraced the idea of holding a contemporary art auction— the first of its kind in the area. “The goal is to establish an ongoing resource for the resale of significant works of contemporary art,” says Wheeler.

The auction, which will take place at Leland Little on March 13, will feature approximately 100 works of 20th and 21st century artists from the private collections of North Carolina collectors, including Wheeler and his partner Don Doskey, Dr. Carlos Garcia Velez and Dr. W. Kent Davis and Allen G. Thomas Jr. Some of the works have even been exhibited at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Included in the auction are works by Anish Kapoor, Kasper Sonne, Alex Prager, Peter Glenn Oakley, Muzi Quawson, Fred Tomaselli, Andy Warhol, Scott Reeder, Helen Van Meene, Keith Haring, Ori Raff, Sally Mann and Mona Kuhn.

Anyone interested in contemporary art is encouraged to attend. Leland Little’s Fine Art Director Claire Fraser says, “the art is a mix of accessible pieces and more avant-garde works, and includes a range of scale, so there are pieces that would be appropriate both to start a collection or to add to an established collection.” Let the bidding begin.

6:30 p.m.; 620 Cornerstone Ct., Hillsborough; lelandlittle.com
A preview party will be held March 12. See website for details.