Art auction features many local artists

The Nevada Museum of Art's "art 4 auction" event Friday will offer something for both new and veteran art collectors.

"What our curators tried to do was put together a collection of works that are available to satisfy all collecting goals," said Amy Oppio, museum director of communications. "So some pieces will be the more high-end pieces you might expect to find in Los Angeles or New York, but there will also be pieces for the beginning collector as well. There's a good stratification of price ranges for every collector."

The live auction will feature 74 lots, plus 48 offered silently.

Among the pieces in the silent auction is lot S33, a lithograph by late Carson City artist Hans Meyer Kassel. Residents may easily recognize the Carson Valley with a blue Jobs Peak looming above it.

Kassel was one of 21 described as "Outstanding Nevada Artists" by Sen. Howard W. Cannon. His piece, "Genoa," is expected to go for less than $300.

"That might be a piece that more of a beginning collector would be interested in," Oppio said.

One of the higher-end pieces will be lot 65, "Rock of Ages # 8, Abandoned Section" by Edward Burtynsky. It's a striking photo of the Wells-Lamson Quarry in Barre, Vt. Cold white granite towers over teal-green water. Little rusty ladders cling to the rock, leading from nowhere to nowhere.

The chromogenic print is expected to go for between $2,500 and $3,000.

"So that might be of interest to a more established collector," Oppio said.

Other pieces include a gouache of a verdant pass in the high Sierra by Phyllis Shafer, who teaches art at South Lake Tahoe Community College.

Photographer Edward Weston, who worked off and on with Ansel Adams and Willard Van Dyke, won fame for his stark black-and-white landscapes. His "Joshua Tree, Mojave," taken in 1928, will be offered Friday.

Lot S37 by Kathy Sarman is a realistic, 1999 giclée print of a man and a horse called "The Touch." Sarman was selected as the 2000 Reno Rodeo poster artist for her "Bronc 'n' the Neon."

The auction will benefit the education and exhibition programs at the museum, on Liberty Street in Reno. It will be the first time the event, held every other year, has been at the eye-catching new building.

"Art 4 auction is an event that benefits the community in so many ways," said Steven High, executive director. "The auctioning of museum-quality artwork allows members of our community to develop their own collections, while the proceeds from each sale will be shared by the museum and the participating artists."

A selection of the work to be auctioned is on display in the museum's second-floor walkway through Thursday. The auction will be in the main floor atrium.

Auctioneer Peter Stremmel of Stremmel Galleries will begin the bidding at 7 p.m. on Friday.

"It goes pretty fast, but that's exciting," Oppio said. "Especially if you get a bidding war going - and we had a couple of those at our last auction."

Reservations for "art 4 auction" are now available. The cost is $35 in advance for museum members, $45 in advance for nonmembers and $55 at the door. Tickets include a full-color catalogue, bidding paddle, hors d'oeuvres and wine.

For details, call 329-3333.

Contact Karl Horeis at khoreis@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.