More than 350 items — from a Marc Chagall lithograph, a Josh Groban microphone, New England getaways and fine wines to Boston sports memorabilia — are up for bid at the now-live GBH Holiday auction . These items were curated by the same team of 15 volunteers from 2019 who tapped their personal and professional networks to garner a unique collection of donations.
Nan Trama, local arts connoisseur, was able to curate almost 50 art pieces, which will attract tens of thousands of dollars in bids at the online event, running through December 10 (with the fine wine auction ending November 15.)
“People love the arts in this city,” says Trama, a former art educator in the New York City schools. “And GBH has an incredible following.”
Put those two ingredients together and you have an unrivaled collection of vetted authentic paintings, sculptures, ceramics and antiques, she says.
Over the years Trama has developed a network of artists and galleries, including curators at the Galerie D’Orsay, the Newbury Street gallery that agreed to donate the Chagall lithograph. Over the six years she has lived in Boston and volunteered at GBH, Trama has brought in a 30-piece African artifacts collection, vintage Aboriginal prints from Australia, a Rembrandt and has inspired exciting local artists like Suzanne Hodes to donate paintings .
The pandemic caused the traditional Spring Auction to be cancelled (the first time the event was called off in its fifty-plus year history!) and has also brought changes to the Holiday Auction: Volunteers worked from home rather than at GBH headquarters, and most items will be shipped to winning bidders. Fragile and very valuable items will be available for contact-free pick-up from the GBH’s Brighton loading dock. Because of current travel restrictions, auction-goers have a year to use any getaway items.
“Beyond being a fundraiser for GBH, the Auction is a way to support local businesses and to reinforce that they’re open,” says Jaime Reese, senior manager of GBH Member Engagement.
Auction volunteers, she says, are a very special group.
“They are incredibly dedicated to GBH, and they work so hard to bring in unique, valuable items,” she says. “Many of them even have become friends over the years.”
Auction-goers can go online to learn about each item and its market value, monitor bidding activity and submit bids in categories ranging from antiques to electronics.
Reese expects about 500 bidders will join the auction and place as many as 4,000 bids.
A Holiday Auction showcase will be broadcast this month, allowing potential bidders to scope out the items. (Broadcast times: GBH 2: Thu, 11/19 at 9pm, Sat, 11/21 at 6pm and Sun, 11/22 at 1pm. On GBH 44: 11/21 at 7pm and 8pm on 11/22.)
Check out this sampling:
- Historic South and Golden Isles Cruise for two, eight-day journey in a stateroom with private balcony between Charleston, S.C., and Amelia Island, Fla.
- Josh Groban Autographed Microphone accompanied by virtual tickets to Josh Groban: An Evening of Harmony virtual concert in February.
- Julian Edelman-Autographed NFL Football , officially licensed by the National Football League; comes with an individually numbered, tamper-evident hologram.
- “The Circus” lithograph by Marc Chagall , that captures the artist’s highly individualistic style and love of romance, phantasm and escapism.
- Three bottles of 1990 Chateau Troplong Mondot , described as “full-bodied and very chewy, mouthpuckering.”
- Backstage with A Celtic Sojourn’s Brian O’Donovan , an exclusive opportunity to experience A Celtic Sojourn virtually as it is produced live with host O’Donovan.
Explore the GBH Holiday Auction
here
.
