Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art is partnering with the online auction house Paddle8 to present its annual benefit fine art auction, “Art You Love!” Featuring fifty works of art by leading and emerging artists connected with Maine, the CMCA auction is an opportunity to purchase works you love and support CMCA’s exhibitions and educational programming.

This is the second year CMCA is partnering with Paddle8 to bring its benefit art auction to a global collecting market. “The online platform allows people to preview and bid on works to benefit CMCA, no matter where they are located,” says CMCA director Suzette McAvoy. “We have so many terrific contemporary artists here in Maine and working with Paddle8 makes it possible for us to introduce their art to collectors, both near and far.”

The “Art You Love!” auction is available for previewing online at www.cmcanow.org/auction, beginning at 9am on Monday, February 5. Bidding opens at noon on Wednesday, February 14, and runs through 5pm on Wednesday, February 28. At the close of the auction, successful bidders will be notified by Paddle8 to arrange for shipment of the art directly to the buyers.

Artists contributing to the 2018 CMCA Benefit Art Auction are: Daniel Anselmi, Richard Benari, John Bisbee, Katherine Bradford, Jenny Brillhart, Tom Burckhardt, Tom Butler, Sam Cady, Ann Craven, David Dewey, Lois Dodd, David Driskell, Lynn Duryea, Ingrid Ellision, Jeff Epstein, Inka Essenhigh, Melanie Essex, Kathleen Florance, Elizabeth Fox, Peter Halley, Lauren Henkin, Alison Hildreth, Tanja Hollander, Alex Katz, Lisa Kellner, Sal Taylor Kydd, Marc Leavitt, Amy Lowry, Jack McKenney, K. Min, Anne Neely, Brooke Nixon, Shannon Rankin, Justin Richel, Kate Russo, Claire Seidl, Anneli Skaar, Emilie Stark-Menneg, Jonathan Mess, Sara Stites, Barbara Sullivan, Don Voisine, William Wegman, Mark Wethli, Shoshannah White, James Wolfe, Graham Wood, and Dudley Zopp.

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EMILIE STARK-MENNEG Love Potion, 2017, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 11 x 14 in (27.94 x 35.56 cm)
WILLIAM WEGMAN Port, 1993 Chromogenic print Work: 16 x 20 in (40.64 x 50.8 cm) Frame: 22.5 x 17.75 x 1.5 in (57.15 x 45.09 x 3.81 cm), Edition 6 of 12

This is the 40th year CMCA has held a benefit fine art auction showcasing work by national and emerging artists associated with Maine. For assistance or further information on this year’s “Art You Love!” auction, please call CMCA at 207-701-5005 or email hello@cmcanow.org.