PITTSBURGH – The Mattress Factory – a museum of contemporary installation art known worldwide for presenting exhibitions that push artistic boundaries – will hold a benefit art auction on Saturday, Oct. 18, beginning at 8 p.m. EST. Nearly 100 works will be offered, live and online, by noted artists such as James Turrell, Kiki Smith, John Waters and others.
On the day of sale, the auction will go live worldwide, via a partnership with LiveAuctioneers.com. Contemporary art lovers from around the globe will be able to compete with bidders on the auction room floor for collectible one-of-a-kinds by internationally recognized artists.
Since its founding in 1977, the Mattress Factory has served as a launch pad for over 300 name artists, such as Damien Hirst and Greer Lankton. Every five years, artists who have exhibited work there during the past three decades come together to help support the museum’s mission through a live auction of donated work. All proceeds help fund the Mattress Factory’s exhibitions, programs and operations.
Artists donating work to this year’s auction include William Anastasi, Deborah Aschheim, Jo Anne Bates, Jeremy Boyle, Dove Bradshaw, Valerie Brodar, Angelo Ciotti, Mark Garry, Paul Glabicki, Ann Hamilton and Jene Highstein. Additionally, works have been donated by Delanie Jenkins, Shelagh Keely, Sutee Kunavichayonont, Rolf Julius, Winifred Lutz, Shawn Quinlan, Raqs Media Collective, Ann Reichlin, Diane Samuels, Kiki Smith, Kate Temple, James Turrell, Hema Upadhyay, John Waters, Barbara Weissberger, Allan Wexler and Bill Woodrow. Additional artists are being announced daily.
“We are constantly humbled by the support we receive from artists spanning the history of the museum,” said Michael Olijnyk, co-director of the Mattress Factory. “The fact that these artists, some two or three decades after exhibiting here and some currently showing, believe strongly enough in the Mattress Factory’s mission to donate pieces to our auction amazes me. We are extremely grateful.”
The Mattress Factory features “art you can get in to” – room-sized environments, created by in-residence artists. The museum is located at 500 Sampsonia Way, on Pittsburgh’s north side.
A pre-auction cocktail party will be held on the date of sale, beginning at 7 p.m. For more information, or to purchase auction tickets, log on to www.mattress.org. Or, you may call the museum directly, at (412) 231-3169.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
