The Drawing Center Partners With Paddle8 For Auction
A work by architect Steven Holl.
Online auction house
Paddle8
is set to host an auction of architectural drawings in conjunction with
The Drawing Center
, running May 1 through 9 with an opening reception on May 1 from 6-8pm. Brett Littman, executive director of The Drawing Center, and board members
Steven Holl
and
Brad Cloepfil
have curated a sale featuring the work of 10 to 12 internationally renowned architects, including Pablo Castro of
OBRA
, Thom Mayne, Annabelle Selldorf, Stan Allen, Michael Bell, Eric Owen Moss, James Newton Wines, and Neil Denari. The proceeds will be used to support future exhibitions of architectural drawings at The Drawing Center
“I love looking at these types of drawings, since they encode technology, style, aesthetics and innovation,” says Littman. “The best of them stand up to greatest works of art in terms of pure hand skills and ideas.” Littman hopes this auction will mark the first in a series, and suggests similar auctions may occur annually and will hopefully grow in size over time.
The exhibition of architectural drawings is integral to the mission of The Drawing Center, which is the only fine arts center in the nation exclusively focused on historical and contemporary drawings. The center has hosted approximately 20 exhibits since 1977, when they began by featuring the drawings of
Antoni Gaudí
. Littman has overseen four exhibitions of architectural drawings in his tenure, including one featuring the works of Lebbeus Woods, a show which originated at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and will be on display at The Drawing Center until June 15.
In addition to raising funds to support future shows, Littman hopes this auction will serve to establish a marketplace for architectural drawings. He’s identified that there are collectors who are interested, but that very few galleries currently sell them. “Today with the closing of Max Protech and Henry Urbach’s gallery, there are very few places to buy architects’ drawings,” he says. “It is Steven, Brad and my hope that our curated auction will give collectors an opportunity to buy these works and add them to their collections of contemporary art and design, and maybe even architecturally important homes where they deserve to be.”
A drawing by Brad Cloepfil.
A work by Thom Mayne.
