“It feels awesome,” she said while dancing next to her table after her painting sold for $525 - nearly twice the artist's declared value set for the work prior to bidding.
Thornton wasn't the only artist to see her work shoot past its estimated value. A painting by Missoula artist Janet Sullivan skyrocketed from an opening bid of $425 to $4,000, and many other artworks sold for more than twice their stated value.
Add in the income from this past Thursday's Artini auction event - which sold out all 150 available seats at Dauphine's, and topped $3,300 in art sold - and the MAM's biggest annual fundraising drive brought more than $220,000 to the museum for its operating and educational scholarship funds.
“It's over the top in every category,” said Laura Millin, executive director of the MAM. “It's stupendous, absolutely stupendous. So good for art, for the MAM and for artists.”
Millin herself was celebrated at Saturday's auction. When she was introduced by MAM board member Sharon Alexander, Millin received a standing ovation in recognition of her work at the MAM, which in the past year completed a $5.315 million expansion and endowment campaign for its facility on North Pattee Street.
Millin's was the first of two standing ovations of the evening. The second was reserved for celebrated Missoula artist Rudy Autio.
Autio was honored in another way as well at the event: His large ceramic sculpture, titled “Backstage,” sold for $23,000. That was the most ever paid for a single item at the MAM auction.
“We've never broken $20,000 for a single piece before,” said Millin. “That was an incredible show of support for an incredible artist.”
More than 15 works broke the $2,000 mark at Saturday's auction, including a painting by George Gogas that sold for $9,000, a ceramic pot by Josh DeWeese that sold for $3,000, and a carved granite sculpture by Lars Edshammer, which sold for $3,200.
With the auction moved to the Hilton Garden Inn this year - it had previously taken place in the University Center Ballroom on the University of Montana campus - more seating was available. Millin said attendance broke 500 for the first time ever.
Traditionally one of the best places for local artists to network with arts patrons, the event paid off Saturday for at least one artist, Kate Davis. Davis, whose metal sculpture of a magpie sold at auction for $3,200, said she was approached after bidding ended for her piece and was offered a commission by a different patron.
“I'd done a smaller piece for them before, and they said they want me to do a sculpture of a heron,” said Davis. “I'm super excited.”
Artist Doug Grimm didn't have a piece in the auction this year, but that didn't stop him from attending the event. After a painting by Sentinel High School senior Clay Mahn sold for $2,100, Grimm enthused that the show of support by arts patrons toward emerging artists this year was particularly gratifying.
“It makes kids realize it isn't only the old guys doing art and selling it,” said Grimm. “Seeing someone so young sell a piece at this event, I think that helps build interest among young people, maybe gets them to stop by the museum to see what's happening. And that's a good thing.”
Jerry Toner, the professional art auctioneer who has for the past 11 years made an annual trek to the event from his home in Seattle, said he felt the new setting for the auction worked well.
“It's beautifully set up here,” he said, gazing around the lobby of the Hilton after the auction's end. “With all the extra space, this event clearly brought in new faces, younger folks - which adds a great energy to the room. I just got them revved up, got out of the way and let the bids come in.”
Reporter Joe Nickell can be reached at 523-5358 or at jnickell@missoulian.com
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