A Fundraising Auction
At Leonard Joel, we considered it our first priority for 2020 to in some way meaningfully assist with bushfire relief.
In the first week of January this found its form with four emails I received, all within the space of seven days and all from individuals and organisations in Victoria concerned and committed enough to want to help bring a fund-raising auction to life.
My sister, Kirsten Albrecht of Kozminsky Studio contacted me on the 3rd of January with promises of jewels and experiences, Sandra Powell and Andrew King advised me on the 5th January that they would gladly curate a monumental collection of Street Art, from street artists wanting to help. On the 7th of January the well-known, Melbourne based artists David Bromley and Vincent Fantauzzo committed two major works of art to the auction project and finally, Michael Fox and his artists of Fox Galleries committed themselves to this relief project.
Since then, we have received more incredible donations and what we will be presenting with the extraordinary support and energy of these cornerstone supporters and individuals is The Bushfire Relief Auction on the 16th of February at 6pm, with all proceeds (every cent) – transaction costs and Buyer’s Premium will be waived – going to The Victorian Bushfire Appeal.
Since our announcement, support for this event has been overwhelming with numerous local, interstate and international businesses unflinchingly providing, free of charge, their services and products to ensure this event provides the perfect art-industry platform to raise, put simply, as much money as possible for communities affected by these unprecedented fires. As I write, so many have committed to bringing this fund-raising auction to life and so, on behalf of our cornerstone supporters, our business supporters and Leonard Joel, I implore you, your family and your friends to attend this auction, to bid heartily and be part of our collective effort for Victorian bushfire relief.
JOHN ALBRECHT
Managing Director / National Head of Collections