First Aldrich Undercover Was Huge Success

The inaugural Aldrich Undercover—a secret art sale to benefit The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum—was a huge success, with over $60,000 raised for the Museum. The line for preview attendees started forming at 4:30 pm, and the excitement was palpable. Those waiting enjoyed warm cider and a chance to talk to artists, fellow collectors, and friends.

At 6:30 pm, the doors of the Leir Gallery opened, and the buying began. The gallery was lined with 244 different works from over 125 artists. By 7 pm, almost 80% of the art had sold; by the end of the night 90% of the art had been purchased. While there was a lot of excitement, the crowd was orderly and no-one argued over the work! Many buyers were vying to find the drawing by contemporary artist Sol LeWitt, which was not purchased until after 7 pm. Kathleen Keener of Bethel purchased the first work, a drawing by Mark Dion. Work by Ann Hamilton, street artist Michael De Feo, and Newtown artist Robert Cottingham sold quickly.

Over 270 people attended the event, 55 of whom were artists who had contributed work. Some of the attendees were seasoned collectors, bargain hunting; others had never before purchased a work of contemporary art. Plans for the second Aldrich Undercover are already underway. De Feo, who placed a popular installation of sharks and a solo scuba diver on the Museum’s façade during last year’s Radius exhibition, emailed that the event was a “great success,” adding, “I had a really great time and feel absolutely honored to be given the opportunity to help support the Museum with my art.”

The Aldrich would like to thank all the artists who contributed their work. The Museum would also like to thank Jerry’s Artarama in Norwalk for donating the paper for the artworks; David Van Wees at Stella Artois for donating refreshments; and the event media sponsor, Connecticut Cottages & Gardens.

• Index of news items