Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

500 GALLERY SHOWCASING TRIBAL ART AUCTION, WITH INDIVIDUAL YOUTUBE VIDEOS FOR EACH LOT

The firm uses a rotating pedestal for showcasing sculptures that are best seen in the round, but the inspiration for adding videos to their online catalogs came from a YouTube jewelry video.

FRANKLIN, Mass. – Bruce Wood was surfing the Internet one day and found himself watching a video of sparkling earrings twirling around in a jewelry advertisement. Then it hit him: “In our gallery, we have a rotating pedestal for showcasing sculptures that are best seen in the round,” he said, “but the inspiration for adding videos to our online catalogs came from that jewelry video.”

Wood is the owner of 500 Gallery in Franklin, an auction house that specializes in fine art originals and attributions. It is about to make its initial foray into African tribal art with the first in a series of auctions planned for Wednesday, September 30th. The sale is online-only so, of course, showing each item in its best possible light involved taking crisp, multiple photos per lot.

But watching that jewelry video sparked a thought. “It occurred to me that simple videos would give people a great experience of the three-dimensionality of sculptures, and help them make sense of all the detailed photos – front, back, sides, etcetera – in the catalog listings,” Wood said. I made a few videos of some of my favorite tribal art pieces and popped them onto YouTube.”

Wood made a page of videos for the website (www.500Gallery.com), but said, “Aside from listing the YouTube URL and asking viewers to copy and paste it into their Internet browser, there was no way to incorporate these lovely videos into each catalog listing. Luckily, we approached our software developer and he made it all possible. Now each page of the catalog has an embedded video that can be easily clicked and viewed. All 60 lots have their own video.”

Wood said as far as he knows, his is the first auction house to offer rotating videos for all the lots in a single sale. “Especially in the tribal sculpture market, being able to show an object in glorious 3-D is unheard-of,” he commented, adding, “I can’t wait for holographs to be available.”

To view a video of Lot 1 – the Senufo Kulonugo fire spitter – simply click this link:
https://bid.500gallery.com/lot-details/index/catalog/25041/lot/3693048?url=%2Fauctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F25041

All 60 lots can also be viewed in the 500 Gallery showroom, at 1243 Pond Street in Franklin, Mass., by appointment, Tuesdays thru Saturdays. To make an appointment call 508-834-8190.

500 Gallery specializes in original artworks and works that are in the style of, in the manner of, or attributed to fine art masters. The firm is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single piece or an entire collection, you may call them at 508-834-8190; or, you can email them at [email protected]. For more info, visit www.500Gallery.com

Senufo Kulonugo fire spitter, a massive wood carving covered with black paint and adorned by additions of red paint. Atop the head is a carved offering bowl (est. $2,500-$5,000).