Sotheby’s Frieze Week Contemporary Art Auction in London on Friday, October 16, 2009, will be highlighted by a group of nine works whose proceeds will benefit Harefield Hospital. The artworks in a range of media have been donated by leading Contemporary artists including Jake and Dinos Chapman, Tracey Emin, Rachel Howard, Anselm Kiefer, Sarah Lucas, Grayson Perry, Boo Ritson, Conrad Shawcross and Bernar Venet. The auction is the brainchild of Harefield Hospital consultant cardiac surgeon Jullien Grayson Perry’s Urn for the Living, glazed ceramic, 86 by 36cm., 2009 Estimate: £30,000-£50,000 Gaer who, together with his wife, the art adviser Polly Robinson Gaer, has been involved in the art world for many years.
Commenting on the forthcoming auction, Jullien Gaer, said: “Harefield offers a last chance for many patients whose heart surgery is so complex and risky that other hospitals will not consider operating on them. They arrive at Harefield with very little hope and through our dedicated team of experts the impossible can become possible. However, funds are desperately needed to continue the pioneering research that makes these operations possible. Through the extraordinary generosity of the artists who are donating their work and the invaluable support of Sotheby’s and their collectors, we hope to be able to raise funds to really make the difference.”
Oliver Barker, Sotheby’s Senior Specialist in Contemporary Art and Auctioneer, commented: “Sotheby’s is very proud to be supporting such a worthy cause as Harefield Hospital and we are extremely grateful to these nine Contemporary artists – who are among the foremost practising today – for generously donating such prime examples of their work. Our aim is to provide the ideal forum to attract spirited bidding on the day and raise the greatest possible amount to benefit Harefield Hospital.”
Jullien and Polly Gaer have been inviting artists to visit the hospital and in some cases watch surgery, and the outcome has been extraordinary. Grayson Perry’s time spent observing open heart surgery has resulted in the creation of his unique glazed ceramic Urn for the Living, 2009, which is estimated at £30,000-50,000.
Sharing his experiences of Harefield Hospital during a visit in June 2009, artist Grayson Perry observed: “Harefield is a place where patients who otherwise are going to die are given a second chance. The care they receive requires old fashioned dedication and bravery as well as the most modern skills and technology. Harefield is a powerful expression of society’s love for the individual”.
In addition to Grayson Perry, the works donated by Rachel Howard and Conrad Shawcross have each been especially produced and inspired and by their respective visits to Harefield.
Discussing her visit to Harefield Hospital in June 2009, artist Rachel Howard, remarked: “I had the most extraordinary day at the Harefield Hospital – walking away with an amalgam of emotions, my lasting image of Harefield is the beating of a weak heart exposed by a sawn through jacked open breast bone; the extreme contrast between a harshness and a delicacy in a single memory.”
Works Donated By The Artists:
Tracey Emin (b.1963)
Those Who Suffer Love
Neon, 57 by 209.3 cm., this work is API/II aside from the
edition of 3
Executed in 2009
Estimate: £20,000-30,000
Sarah Lucas (b 1962)
DogLove
Ceramic Dulux dog, cigarettes and glue, 34 by 23 by 29 cm.
Executed in 2009
Estimate: £30,000-40,000
Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945)
En Sof
Mixed media in steel frame, 190 by 140.5 cm.
Executed in 2006
Estimate: £150,000-200,000
Rachel Howard (b. 1969)
Sacre Coeur
Household gloss on canvas, 152.5 by 152.5 cm.
Executed in 2009
Estimate: £15,000-20,000
Jake and Dinos Chapman (b. 1966 & b. 1962)
One Day You Will No Longer Be Loved II (No. 10)
Oil on canvas, 76.4 by 63.5 cm.
Executed in 2008
Estimate: £30,000-40,000
Boo Ritson (b. 1969)
Librarian
Archival digital print, this work is number 2 from an edition of
3, plus 2 artist’s proofs, 119.4 by 77.9 cm.
Executed in 2009
Estimate: £5,000-7,000
Conrad Shawcross (b. 1977)
Perimeter Series, Arrangement 3c
Aluminum and paint, 71.1 by 71.1 by 68.6cm
Executed in 2008
Estimate: £8,000- 12,000
Bernar Venet (b. 1941)
221.5º ARC X 15
Rolled steel, 35 by 30 by 47.5cm cm.
Executed in 2009
Estimate: £20,000-30,000
Grayson Perry
Urn for the Living, 2009
Estimate: £30,000-50,000.
Harefield Hospital:
Every year many lives are saved by the dedicated team of professionals at Harefield Hospital. Harefield has long enjoyed international acclaim for being the leader in its field: from transplants to artificial hearts, from conventional surgery to state of the art medical treatment, Harefield patients receive the best possible specialist care for their heart or lung condition. The hospital attracts experts from all over the world, clinicians and researchers striving to push the boundaries of research, innovation and treatment. The money that we raise through this unique auction will support them in their endeavor, enabling the hospital’s pioneering work to continue.Image: Grayson Perry – Urn for the Living, glazed ceramic, 86 by 36cm., 2009 Estimate: £30,000-£50,000. Photo: Sotheby’s
