160 works up for grabs at the 15th Firstdraft Auction

Works by more than 140 Australian artists are set to go under the hammer this August as Firstdraft presents its 15^th annual Firstdraft Auction. Firstdraft’s goal is to raise funds to support the many artists, curators and writers that participate in its programs, increasing accessibility in the art world and enabling emerging artists and creatives to develop their practices.

“The Firstdraft Auction is one of Australia’s most celebrated art fundraising events which returns critical funding to the sector”, says Director of Firstdraft Caity Reynolds. “For the past 15 years, Firstdraft has raised a quarter of its annual revenue from the auction and, last year alone, the generosity of our community allowed us to deliver 29 individual exhibitions and contributed to paying 81 artists for their participation in our annual program”.

Some hot-ticket works that collectors should have their eye on will come from participating artists Tony Albert, Ken Done, Huseyin Sami, Amelia Skelton, Belem Lett, Emma Pham, Catherine Clayton-Smith and Koji Ruyi – with more artists to be announced later this month. They will join more than 400 artists who have donated works since the auctions began in 2009.

The auction will also host an Artists’ Party on the final night of bidding, which will feature music and a raffle with enviable prizes, presented by MC and Director of Hazelhurst Arts Centre Sebastian Goldspink.

The auction will run from 11am Wednesday 7 August until 9pm Friday 16 August, and all works will be on display for the public to view at Firstdraft’s space in Woolloomooloo.