Norman Rockwel's 'Vintage Times' is a signed lithograph valued at US$8,000 but can be auctioned for US$4,500.
Barbara Ellington, Features Co-ordinator
IN ADDITION to a glorious tan, art lovers on vacation at Starfish Trelawny can now take home a painting by one of the world's masters in the thrice weekly art auctions held at the hotel.
The auctions are conducted by Nigel Haines, an art director with the Fine Arts Wholesalers Inc., one of the largest art dealers world-wide. The collection comprises a collection of prints of over 200 original works by world-renowned artists such as: Chagall, Ebgi, Erte, Miró, Rembrandt, Picasso, Dali, Renoir, Rockwell and many more. The collection also includes sports memorabilia like the display in the hotel lobby of treasured photographs of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali with the Beatles and copies of the champ's hand prints.
Most of the pieces in the auction are lithographs, etchings or serigraphs.
The Art Wholesalers have for years conducted auctions on board cruise ships, at charity events, through television and catalogues as well as at their Web site at: www.fineartwholesalers.com.
At least three pieces from the collection are always strategically positioned in the hotel lobby but on art auction afternoons, Mr. Haines, who is from England, arranges the pieces in the Italian restaurant Giusppi, from where the auction is conducted. Guests trickle in slowly and receive bidding instructions. Purchases are billed to room accounts or credit cards and The Art Wholesalers will deliver paintings to the guest's home address if necessary.
"It is quite a successful business and response has been good since we came to the Starfish," Mr. Haines told The Sunday Gleaner. This is because guests get to own pieces by world-famous artists for up to 75 per cent below current gallery retail value.
Mr. Haines explained that in the normal course of events a finished work goes from the artist to a dealer who then gets it to a distributor before it ends up in a gallery, Many times all of this takes place before the painting is framed. Fine Art Wholesalers eliminates all those hurdles getting works directly to the customers from the studios - thus ensuring direct buying power.
Mr. Haines who has a bachelor of arts degree in Art Design worked as a professional photographer for 15 years before sailing the high seas as an art director. His photographs have been exhibited and sold at home and his favourite subject is people.
