BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK.- Bob & Sallie Connelly will auction, without reserve, the 310 items comprising the permanent collection of the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum of Ridgefield, Connecticut, including 53 items from the estate of Museum founder, Larry Aldrich. The auction includes works by 222 artists including a portfolio of 12 hand-colored etchings by Salvador Dali, a sketch by Fernand Leger, a screenprint by Roy Lichtenstein, lithographs by Richard Linder, and a black and white photograph by Robert Rauschenberg. 

Larry Aldrich (1906-2001) founded the Museum in 1964 with mission of exhibiting new art by emerging and mid-career artists. To further that mission, the Museum’s Board voted to deaccession its permanent collection at auction and reinvest the proceeds in the Museum’s ongoing exhibition program. (Proceeds of items from the Aldrich estate go to the estate.) 

The diverse collection comprises paintings, photography, sculptures and works on paper created between 1908 and 1996. The sale even includes Mr. Aldrich’s 1985 Chrysler LeBaron convertible, decorated in 1995 by Joel Otterson with images of the artist’s garden in Coventry, Kentucky. Some of the more noteworthy and interesting items are described on the Featured Items page. 

Terms:  10% Buyer’s Premium.  All items are sold As Is - Where Is - Without Reserve. Positive ID is required to bid unless you are known to us. We prefer a driver’s license with photo. If paying by a method other than cash or assured payment, the items may be held until your payment clears our bank. Phone and absentee bids are accepted and executed competitively by a member of our staff. Visa, MasterCharge, Discover, and American Express cards accepted for this auction. NYS 8.25% sales tax will be charged without exception unless a valid Exemption Certificate is provided. Catered food available during the auction. 

Absentee and Phone Bids.  Absentee or Phone Bids for the Aldrich Museum Auction must be received by 5:00 p.m. (EST) on Friday, November 7, 2003. All Absentee and Phone Bidders must be pre-registered. Phone bidders are encouraged to place an Absentee bid as a precaution against busy or bad lines. Use the Bid Form to place an Absentee or Phone Bid, or call or fax it in.