The 32nd Annual Noble Art Auction is set for Saturday, November 14 as a virtual fundraiser
The 32nd Annual Noble Art Auction is set for Saturday, November 14 as a virtual fundraiser to benefit the Noble Maritime Collection
The Noble Maritime Collection will present the 32nd Annual John A. Noble Art Auction as an online event on Saturday, November 14 from 7 to 9 PM EST at noble.givesmart.com.
The annual art auction is a Staten Island tradition. It is the museum’s premier fundraising event with proceeds supporting exhibitions and programs for students and the broader public. Due to the pandemic, this year’s auction will be presented virtually, with guests invited to attend safely from the comfort of their homes.
“Our first thoughts are with the community we serve,” said Executive Director Ciro Galeno, Jr. “Like so many families and businesses, both locally and across the country, the museum is facing financial hardship. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we are optimistic that this year’s auction will see us through these uncertain times.”
Auctioneer Scott Van Campen, Executive Director of MakerSpace NYC, will conduct the event livestreamed from the museum at noble.givesmart.com.
For the first time, bidding is open to anyone around the world. Registration is required, but it is free and easy to do by visiting noble.givesmart.com, or by texting NOBLE to 76278.
The museum successfully reopened in September, with new safety protocols, and the works of art in the auction are currently being exhibited in the museum’s library.
The art is also posted online at noble.givesmart.com. Within the online catalogue, interested buyers can leave a pre-bid on any piece.
The auction features 37 works of art, including antique and contemporary paintings, prints, photographs, and objects.
There are three lithographs by John A. Noble (1913-1983), including Oncoming Night, done in 1966. The others, Ghost of a Bygone Ferry and Ah! Linoleumville, both done in 1973, have not appeared in an auction in over a decade. A reproduction of an unusual Noble charcoal and pencil drawing of an angel is also available.
There are also prints by Salvatore Busacca (1927-2016), Johann Adam Delsenbach (1687-1765), Salvador Dalí (1904-1989), Ernest Haskell (1876-1925), and Herman Zaage (1927-2008), one of the museum’s first Trustees.
Contemporary printmakers William Behnken, Diane Matyas, Bill Murphy, Francesca D’Atria Romano, and Mary Rouncefield donated a selection of lithographs, engravings, etchings, monoprints, and aquatints. One of two prints in the auction by Murphy, Three Bridges, is one of his first lithographs, which he made in 1979 and showed to Noble, by then a master lithographer.
There are three watercolors by artists Christa McDonald, Sage Reynolds, and Frederick Tordorff. Staten Islander Robert Padovano donated a painting of the glasshouse at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, and a painting of the Alice Austen House by Noble’s friend and famed Staten Islander restaurateur Jack Demyan (1923-1999) is also being offered.
The auction includes photographs by local artists Irma Bohórquez-Geisler, Bill Higgins, Bo Kass (1938-2020), Michael McWeeney, Captain Charles Restivo, Charlie Sforza, and Vincent Verdi. Also in the auction is an image of Billie Holiday by noted jazz photographer Robert Parent (1923-1987).
A pen and ink drawing by Elle Finn, and a piece by Joyce Malerba Goldstein made of handmade paper, hand-ground gauche and wax, are also available.
A pastel of a Moran tug passing the St. George Ferry Terminal by Bill Foge was amongst several pieces generously donated by former board chairman Bob Skeele. A mixed media piece by Andrea Phillips featuring a cat, and a handmade nautical canvas tote bag featuring a sperm whale by Frank Hanavan add whimsical flare to the auction.
Ann Marie McDonnell donated a print of one of her recent floral paintings and a limited edition print of a painting of South Street Seaport in 1882 by museum Trustee John Stobart rounds out this year’s selection.
Winning bidders can pick up their purchases at the museum beginning on Monday, November 16.
Shipping is available through the museum’s partner, Postal Connections. Interested bidders can get a quote before biding and arrange for shipping by contacting them at (718) 980-2000 or postalconnections210@yahoo.com.
Catering by Framboise has been the museum's caterer for decades. For interested parties within the New York City area, Framboise is offering a special menu for private auction parties for a minimum of eight people on the night of the event, Saturday, November 14, delivered ready to serve. For more information call Framboise at (718) 448-4252.
The Noble Maritime Collection, located in a former mariners’ dormitory at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, New York, is open to the public from 12 until 5 PM, Thursdays through Sundays.
To learn more about this unique maritime museum, or for more information about the auction, call (718) 447-6490 or visit www.noblemaritime.org.
