Imperial Oil’s pending move from a downtown highrise to a new open concept building in the southeast has the oil company looking to unload a number of pieces from its art collection on Saturday with the proceeds benefiting the United Way.
Hundreds of art pieces, some expected to fetch tens of thousands of dollars while others bear modest appraisals, will be sold at auction to the public and Imperial Oil employees are expected to be among the bidders.
“People do have their eyes on different pieces around the office,” explains Imperial Oil spokesperson Christine Randall. “They’ve been asking us, Is this one going to auction, will I have the opportunity to bid?”
“I’m glad we have the opportunity to buy it,” said Jennifer Eastwood, an Imperial Oil employee, “and I’m looking forward to seeing where they place some of our marquee pieces in the new building.”
The open concept design is happening more and more as the traditional office setting is swapped out.
"What we're seeing is, smaller pieces in large amounts come out as the offices sort of clean up and clear up and go to, you know, a more technological format that opens up the offices," said Doug MacLean, Canadian Art Gallery owner.
Several pieces, including a Mary Pratt and a Nicholas de Grandmaison, are expected to garner interest from art collectors with the bidding on each set to surpass $10,000.
For art aficionados with smaller budgets, or those with only a passing appreciation of art, there will be a number of pieces for auction with reasonable prices.
“So when we’re on the podium, we’ll entertain stating bids at $50, maybe $25,” explains David Heffel of Heffel Fine Auction House.
The artwork will be available for preview on Saturday, November 8, from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the University of Calgary Downtown Campus (906 8 Ave. S.W.) The auction is scheduled to begin immediately after the viewing.
For a list of auction items, including images and price estimates, visit Heffel: Canada's National Fine Art Auction House
With files from CTV's Rylee Carlson
