Last night it was the D&AD Auction to celebrate the annual launch, view all 50 artworks and allow a roomful of slightly sozzled creatives to bid on precisely 11 of them.
Before the auction started there was a bit of time to examine the lots in more detail. Michael Wolff’s cover artwork had been scribbled on and signed by the man himself.
Here’s a close-up of Daniel Eatock’s. Lovely.
This piece on canvas (detail above) by Eine eventually sold for about £650. Bargain, given that a painted Eine can often go for 5k.
Another bargain on the night was the set of Nick Park cartoons (shown at the top of this post) which finally went for £700.
There was a fairly furious bidding war over this original Quentin Blake, eventually going for about £1100.
Here’s Tony Davidson of Wieden & Kennedy relaxing in front of his Paula Scher print after a flurry of offers. Eventually the deep pockets of ‘advertising’ won through and he snared the prize with precisely £2,002.
Mind you, considering that the actual paintings themselves cost about $90,000, perhaps the print will do, for now.
Here’s D&AD Chief Exec Tim Lindsay, now proud owner of Michael Johnson’s poster (and with a wallet £700 lighter).
There was a fair smattering of D&AD presidents old and new to be spotted in the crowd.
Above: incoming president Neville Brody and an outgoing Rosie Arnold.
Ex-president Simon Waterfall and newly appointed deputy president Laura Jordan Bambach from Dare.
And spotted throughout the evening...
Much photography...
...bizarre chat-up lines and business cards.
Earnest conversations...
...and some relieved ex-presidents.
Apparently about 15k was raised for the D&AD foundation, so all in all a good result.
If you want to see what the 50 annual covers look like wrapped around actual books, go here.
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