The Noble Maritime Collection will present the 33rd Annual John A. Noble Art Auction as an in-person and virtual event on Saturday, November 13 at the museum and on LiveAuctioneers.com.
The auction is the Noble Maritime Collection’s only fundraising event each year, and helps to cover up to 25% of the museum's annual budget, making possible exhibitions and free and low-cost public programs including arts education for children of all ages and abilities.
The auction returns as an in-person event with a simultaneous livestream so that guests have the option to attend from the comfort of their homes.
“Every autumn, for more than three decades, the Noble auction has been a Staten Island tradition,” commented Executive Director Ciro Galeno, Jr. “We are excited to welcome our supporters back to the museum. We want everyone to feel comfortable, so we are also glad to offer a virtual bidding option through LiveAuctioneers, which handles sales for major auction houses throughout the world. We are taking this Staten Island tradition global.”
The in-person event begins at 6:30 PM with cocktails and a light supper. Catering by Framboise, led by Chef Frank Puleo, will once again cater the event. The auction begins at 8 PM and will be simultaneously streamed on LiveAuctioneers for virtual bidding.
Underwriting for the event has been generously provided by Caddell Dry Dock and Repair Company and New York Community Bank, as well as other business and community support that can be viewed at noblemaritime.org/auction.
Tickets are $100 each, or $90 for museum members. Those who wish to participate on LiveAuctioneers must make a free account and register for the Noble auction.
To purchase tickets, view the art, and learn about live online bidding via LiveAuctioneers visit noblemaritime.org/auction.
Scott Van Campen, Executive Director of MakerSpace NYC, returns as the auctioneer.
The auction art, currently on view in two of the museum’s first floor galleries, features 44 pieces, including antique and contemporary paintings, prints, photographs, jewelry, and unique objects.
There are three lithographs by John A. Noble (1913-1983), including the rare print Sand Tow, Henry Steers, done in 1949. The others are Export, done in 1951, and Towing Out—End of Sail in the East River, done in 1975. A reproduction of Noble’s oil painting Kaleen is also available.
There are also prints by Salvador Dalí (1904-1989), Richard Aberle Florsheim (1916-1979), F. Halperin (active 19th century), Noble’s father John “Wichita Bill” Noble (1874-1934), Alexander Schilling (1859-1937), Jan Van Eyck (c.1390-1441), and Robert Volpe (1942-2006).
Contemporary printmakers represented in the auction include Staten Islanders Francesca D’Atria Romano, Pat DeCicco, and Bill Murphy, as well as William Behnken, Miriam Quen Cheikin, Patricia Langer, Mary Rouncefield, and Ellen Nathan Singer. The selection includes lithographs, engravings, etchings, monoprints, and woodcuts.
There are five watercolors by artists Margaret Cogswell, Eleanor Dragonette (1923-1997), Milan Meliharek, and Staten Islanders Kristi Pfister and Grace Volpe. Local artist Sarah Yuster donated an oil painting of Raritan Bay. A painting of a winter scene by John A. Noble’s friend and famed restaurateur Jack Demyan (1923-1999), and an acrylic, tempura, and gold leaf painting by Reda Abel Rahman are also being offered.
The auction includes photographs by local artists Bill Higgins, Bo Kass (1938-2020), Michael McWeeney, John Sanderson, Mike Shane, and Lance Reha. Also in the auction is an image of Miles Davis by noted jazz photographer Robert Parent (1923-1987).
Roger Sherry donated a unique coat rack that he made from reclaimed wood and steel railroad spikes that he gathered from Staten Island’s waterfront in the 1970s.
Another unique auction lot is a copper letterpress plate and print depicting the crest of the Richmond Masonic Lodge, No. 66 in Tottenville.
A mixed media piece by prolific Staten Island artist Norman Pate (1923-2004) is on offer, as is a handmade serpentine necklace by Sage Reynolds and a sterling silver brooch and cufflinks set by Valerie Quinlan (1937-2021).
The auction includes an Art Deco malachite vanity set designed by Curt Schlevogt (1869-1959) and a gift certificate for a custom-made necktie or bowtie from Lindman New York, the company owned by former Alice Austen House director, Carl Rutberg.
Local artist and auction committee member Elle Finn donated two pen and ink drawings of Italy, and a limited edition print of a drawing of Boston Harbor by museum Trustee John Stobart rounds out this year’s selection.
Winning bidders through LiveAuctioneers can pick up their purchases at the museum beginning on Tuesday, November 16.
Shipping is available through the museum’s partner, Postal Connections. Interested bidders can get a quote before biding and arrange for shipping by contacting them at (718) 980-2000 or postalconnections210@yahoo.com.
This year, reservations for the in-person event are required by November 8 and no tickets will be sold at the door. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required to attend as mandated by the City of New York.
LiveAuctioneers registrations will be accepted through the day of the event on November 13.
The Noble Maritime Collection, located in a former mariners’ dormitory at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, New York, is open to the public from 12 until 5 PM, Thursdays through Sundays, during which time the auction preview exhibition can be viewed.
To learn more about this unique maritime museum, or for more information about the auction, call (718) 447-6490 or visit www.noblemaritime.org.