Famous artists give work for charity's anonymous auction

WITH stocks and shares tumbling, one of the few secure investments in the current economic climate is a work of fine art.

Of course, that's assuming you know what you're getting and not buying blind.

But that is just what arts lovers in the Capital are being offered – the chance to pick up a potential masterpiece for as little as £300 if they are willing to take a chance.

The catch is buyers won't be told who the artist is and in some cases they won't even see what the painting looks like before paying up, because it will be hidden behind brown paper.

The anonymous art exhibition is all for a good cause, selling more than 200 works to raise funds for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation.

All the pictures will be exhibited anonymously, and although some of the postcard-sized pieces will be the work of established artists and art students, others won't have been crafted by such expert hands.

In previous years contributors have included some unlikely artists – like Cindy the chimp from Edinburgh Zoo.

A special preview night will kick off the sale, when friends of the charity will have the chance to use their best guesswork to try to snap up a bargain before the general public get their chance. On paying their £300, buyers will be given a sealed envelope telling them who painted their purchase.

The event has been given an extra twist this year, as five specially-selected paintings by celebrated artists will be hidden under brown paper and sold off blind for a minimum donation of £1000 – only after purchasing will the buyer find out exactly what lies beneath.

Paintings will be on sale for £300 on the opening day, reducing by £50 every day after that.

Similar sales have previously proved to be great fundraisers for the charity, which supports children and families using the Sciennes hospital.

As well as renowned artists, previous sales have included work by celebrities such as Sopranos actor James Gandolfini.

The charity's chief executive, Maureen Harrison, said: "The artists kindly give us the paintings for free and that's tremendous, it's a huge donation and we really appreciate that.

"It's great fun for the public because they don't know who the artists are, so they're buying something they really like. It's such a buzz.

"The reason it's so important to us is because it funds a lot of our work."

She would only hint, however, at the potential gems waiting to be snapped up in this year's sale.

"We've had incredibly talented artists like Mary Fedden and Donald Provan involved in the exhibition in previous years and, although I can't give anything away, I'm confident that the quality of the paintings will be as high – if not higher – this year.

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The exhibition will be held at Lyon & Turnbull, 33 Broughton Place, from November 14 to 16, between 10am and 4pm.