Keith Richards auction nets $100,000 for Prospector, SPHEREKeith Richards and his wife, Patti Hansen at Silvermine Arts Council in May.Three pieces of French artwork and a Persian carpet from Keith Richards’ apartment in the Upper East Side were the big sellers at an auction held in Hudson, N.Y, last weekend.
The sales will bring more than $100,000 to two Ridgefield nonprofits — SPHERE and The Prospector Theater — by the end of the summer.
“Art usually sells for the most at any auction,” said Muffie Cunningham, director of decorative arts department at Stair Galleries which handled the June 24 auction.
The top price tag that came from the 150-piece lot was $15,000, which was bid for a Jacqueline Marval painting titled, “Bouquet of Tulips to the Window.”
“That was the highest price at the pre-auction, too,” Cunningham said of the 1918 oil on canvas work. “Listed at $8,000 to $12,000.”
So Richards and his wife, Patti Hansen, got more than expected — a win for the couple, who have a home in Weston, as well as those who participate in SPHERE activities and work at the Prospector Theater.
Richard and Hansen agreed to donate all the money from the auction to the nonprofits last month. Hansen’s 24-year-old nephew is autistic and receives services from both organizations.
“The Prospector Theater was built to answer the great demand for employment options for individuals with disabilities, including the one out of 68 children who have been identified with some form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD),” said founder Valerie Jensen. “Up to 80% of working age adults with disabilities are unemployed and underrepresented in the labor force. We learn and test new strategies, use emerging technologies, and adapt our work environment to help educate our audience of the brilliance and sparkle of qualified individuals with autism in the workplace.”
In addition to the $15,000 piece, two other Marval paintings were sold for $4,250 and $2,900.
A Karabagh carpet also sold for $5,500.
The Chesterfield sofa, which was the centerpiece of the apartment’s living room, went for $1,900.
Of the 150 items listed, Cunningham estimated that only two to four had gone unsold.
The auction transactions take 35 business days to become final before funds can be made available.
“The Prospector thanks Keith Richards and Patti Hansen for recognizing the need for meaningful inclusion of adults with disabilities in our community,” Jensen said.
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