Ahead of the Benefit Shop Foundation’s Red Carpet auction, taking place on March 21, 2018 at 10 AM, a beautiful last-minute donation has been added to the upcoming auction. The donation is an Italian School still life painting on canvas, circa 1800, depicting tulips, roses and chrysanthemums in a basket and has solid provenance. It was bought at Sotheby’s in December 1997 from the estate of the late conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. The painting is expected to perform well in the March auction.
The roughly 28-by-36-inch painting is in a gold leaf carved wooden frame marked for Pocker and Sons. Accompanying the painting is the Sotheby’s auction catalog describing the contents of the Bernsteins’ luxe apartment in New York City’s Central Park West, said to be the most famous apartment building in New York City, where they famously entertained celebrities and their friends in the music, arts and entertainment worlds. The couple were avid collectors of art, antiques and high-end furnishings.
“This is a gorgeous painting that just came in and we knew we had to put it into this month’s auction,” said Benefit Shop Foundation owner Pam Stone. “Its beauty is underscored by the symbolism in its flowers, the meanings of which can be hard to ferret out in modern times. It was well suited to the Bernsteins’ home in the luxurious Dakota and will look lovely in the home of its future owner.”
The monthly Red Carpet sales feature choice collections of antique, Midcentury Modern, brand furnishings, sterling, china, crystal, jewelry and fine art. The non-profit foundation, whose mission is “to donate, to discover and to do good,” will see all auction proceeds support community organizations. Consignors get a tax deduction, the buyer gets a great deal and local non-profits get much needed funds.
The auction takes place at Benefit Shop Foundation on 185 Kisco Avenue, Suite 201 in Mt Kisco, New York. Absentee and internet bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.
For more information on the upcoming auction visit thebenefitshop.org or call (914) 864-0707.
