The Association of Galleries (AGA) together with the ON Auction House present the auction of contemporary art and the pre-auction exhibition "Choose | to choose". This is the first joint appearance of AGA members at the auction — a logical continuation of five years of work to unite the gallery community and develop a transparent infrastructure of the Russian art market.

Twenty AGA member galleries - half of the total number of association members — will present selected lots: works by key authors from their programs, independently selected by the gallery owners. Participation in the auction is not only a matter of willingness, but also of artistic position: each gallery chooses those artists who most accurately reflect its values, preferences and place in the professional field. For collectors, this is an opportunity to purchase significant works of the contemporary scene at a fair price — with transparent provenance and double expertise.

For five years, the Gallery Association has been working systematically: it unites the gallery community, forms a single professional voice of the industry, and develops the market infrastructure. One of the tools of this work is the joint presentation of the association's members to a wide audience.

The AGA's stand at the fifth edition of the fair |catalog| became the starting point: for the first time, the member galleries of the association came out in a single line, presenting their authors to collectors. 

The AGA × ON auction is the next step of the same logic: galleries are no longer united for educational initiatives, but for working in the market. 

Participation in the auction is open only to AGA members. Of the 38 member galleries of the association, 20 are entering the market this time - those who are ready to present their authors in a new context. Part of the funds from the lots sold at the auction will be used to develop initiatives and research work of the association.

"It is important for us that galleries can unite not only in educational projects, but also in working in the market — this is a real partnership. The auction is the Association's first step into the secondary market and a new stage in the development and positioning of our community," said Alexander Sharov, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Galleries, founder of Gallery 11.12 and founder of the fair |catalog|.

The selection of lots covers a wide range of mediums — painting, graphics, object, video art — and represents artists of different generations: from recognized authors to the younger generation, actively shaping the image of the modern scene. Participating galleries are represented not only from Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also from Vladivostok, Nizhny Novgorod, Ufa and Kaluga. The auction reflects the vast geography of the Russian art market.

All the works have passed a double examination: first, the selection by the gallery, then by the Expert Council of the auction. The board includes Olga Popova (founder of the ON Auction House), Alexey Veselovsky (curator, member of the AGA Board) and Alexander Sharov (Chairman of the AGA Board). The collector receives a work with transparent provenance and proven quality — at a fair market price.

"This auction is special for us: We work not just with disparate lots from different collections, but directly with galleries and their author programs. We have provided an opportunity for galleries to make their own selection of works that most vividly reflect the concept and DNA of the gallery. It is the gallery that knows its artist best — his logic, his series, his place in the context of the art scene. Behind each lot there is a lively professional judgment of both the gallery owners and the experts of the auction house. The selection includes iconic works from different generations, from recognized masters to authors who are just forming their own language," said Olga Popova, founder of the ON Auction House, member of the Expert Council, founder of the ARTZIP Gallery and partner of the pop/off/art gallery.

"The auction is not a separate event, but part of the unified strategy of the Association of Galleries for the development of the art market. Through booths at fairs, catalogs and now auctions, we are consistently building an infrastructure in which galleries are visible, their artists are available to collectors, and transactions are carried out in a professional environment. The final selection includes different mediums, different generations, and each author deserves a separate, attentive acquaintance. The pre—auction exhibition and auction is exactly the format that allows it," commented Alexey Veselovsky, curator, member of the AGA Board, member of the Expert Council, founder of the Piranesilab Gallery. 


program

May 26 — Opening of the pre-auction exhibition
16:00-18:00 — Pre-screening;

19:00-22:00 — Public opening of the exhibition;

Site: CSI Winery — a space on the 1st floor (entrance C8) and a Fermentation Workshop (entrance H8).

June 3 — Contemporary Art Auction
19:00 — Gathering of guests;

20:00 — The beginning of trading;

The end is approximately until 22:30;

Site: CSI Winzavod — space on the 1st floor (entrance C8).

PARTICIPATING GALLERIES:

Gallery 11.12
Gallery 9B (Nizhny Novgorod)
a—c—t—r—a
ARTSTORY
Auction house ON
pop/off/art
PENNLAB Gallery
ARTZIP
Arka Gallery (Vladivostok)
Vostochnaya
Gallery Golos Gallery (Kaluga)
Evgeny Shutko Gallery
InGallery / InGallery
KultProekt
Gallery Marina Gisich Gallery
Miras Gallery (Ufa)
Pogodin Gallery
Coat Gallery
PiranesiLab
SET / SET PROJECTS
Triumph Gallery HSE
School of Design Gallery / HSE ART GALLERY