Wed 10/26
Good news, art (?) lovers! If you just can’t get enough of a certain paunchy orange presidential candidate, you could be the proud owner of that naked statue of him that briefly stood on Cleveland Heights’ Coventry Road before it was whisked away by police to avoid scaring children, dogs and delicate adults.
The statue, crafted by artist Joshua “Ginger” Monroe, was one of five simultaneously place in cities around the country, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Now the artist has graciously consented to make the piece, entitled “The Emperor Has No Balls,” available for auction.
Cleveland’s Gray’s Auctioneers will manage the live and online auction taking place on Wed 10/26 starting at 11am. The auction catalogue is online as lot #1 (of course, because he’s the best and he’s going to make us #1, this I can promise you). The pre-sale estimate is $10,000-$20,000 and serious bidders can have a private preview 10/19-22 & 10/24-25.
Money raised will go to the proceeds from the sale will benefit public art funding in the Coventry Village Special Improvement District, for city-wide public art projects to be developed by nonprofit Heights Arts, and Monroe, who created the statues for free.
“It’s exciting that my work can be used in this way to create lasting public art for community where the sculpture was placed,” says Monroe.
What happened to the other four? New York’s has been destroyed, San Francisco’s is still in custody. Seattle’s is in private hands and on display at a vintage store there. And Los Angeles’ is also being auctioned off to benefit an alternative art gallery there, with a donation to the National Immigration Forum.