[BCMA] News release: Original Caetani Artwork to Go on Auction Block at Fundraiser

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

Dear media, tourism, art councils, chamber of commerce and other
communications teams,

Please accept the following news release and image in regards to the
original Sveva Caetani painting that will be auctioned at the Caetani
Classic Charity Golf and Gala for the Arts fundraiser.

The event will take place at The Rise Resort in Vernon, BC on Sept. 10,
with funds going towards programming at the former home of renowned artist
Sveva Caetani, now the Caetani Centre in Vernon, BC.

Please let us know if you wish to conduct an interview or require any other
information about this exciting event.

With sincere regards,

*Kristin Froneman (she/her)*
*Programs and Communications Coordinator*
3401 Pleasant Valley Road
Vernon, British Columbia V1T 4L4
Phone: (250) 275-1525
www.caetani.org

*I respectfully acknowledge that my workplace is within the ancestral,
traditional, and unceded territory of the Syilx Nation.*


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 15, 2024

Original Caetani Artwork to Go on Auction Block at Fundraiser

Donated painting of Sveva Caetani’s Ganesha will be part of the auction at
the Caetani Classic Charity Golf and Gala for the Arts, Sept. 10 at The
Rise Resort.

VERNON, BC —Like Claude Monet and Maud Lewis before her, the late artist
Sveva Caetani gained more appreciation for her work after her death.

Caetani’s story and art have since become the focus of several books and
documentary films since she passed away in 1994, while her former home and
property, now the Caetani Centre in Vernon, BC, is the site of a museum,
art gallery and cultural programming.

Today, Caetani’s masterful Recapitulation Series, returned to the Caetani
Centre in 2021 by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts where it resided for
35 years, is celebrated and seen by hundreds of visitors each year.

However, up to now there is only one public record of a Caetani original
watercolour being sold, and that occurred in 2008 when Caetani’s Andromach's
Brothers, created in 1972, was auctioned for $3,738.

That is all about to change when the Caetani Centre holds its new
fundraiser, the Caetani Classic Charity Golf and Gala for the Arts, Sept.
10 at The Rise Resort in Vernon.

A charity auction will take place as part of the event, and amongst other
renowned Okanagan artists work on the block, will be an original framed
watercolour on paper by Caetani herself.

“We hope that potential buyers will be intrigued by the fact that Sveva’s
work is finally getting the recognition that it so deserves and that this
should be a feather in any art collector’s cap to own an original Sveva
Caetani painting,” said aj jaeger, President of the Caetani Cultural Centre
Society board, which is hosting the fundraiser.

The painting has been donated by Rhondda Biggs, a friend of Caetani’s, who
returned the painting to the Caetani Centre back in 2015. It is a study of
the elephant god Ganesha, known in Hinduism as the remover of obstacles and
bringer of luck, as well as the patron of arts and sciences and the deity
of intellect and wisdom.

Biggs says the painting came to her as a sort of “gag gift” from Sveva
after she had finished painting "To Ganesha: The Good Companions,” which
would become part of Caetani’s masterful Recapitulations Series.

“Sveva wouldn’t show the painting to me or our (mutual friend) Joan Heriot
until it was done. When I first looked at it, I said it looked like an
elephant in drag. Sveva thought that was hilarious and we all went to
pieces laughing. Eight months later, she presented me with my very own
painting of Ganesha. She was delighted in giving it to me.”

Biggs believes that Caetani would approve of the Ganesha being auctioned
off as a way to support Sveva’s former home and the diverse arts
programming that now takes place at the Caetani Centre.

“Fundraising is an essential part of being able to offer programs and
events that run the gamut from our artists-in-residence program to
inclusive workshops for underserved populations and to exhibitions for
young artists, and more. It also helps us maintain our 1895 heritage
property so that we can welcome guests from all around the world to learn
Sveva’s story and see her Recapitulation Series,” said Laisha Rosnau.

Heading the Caetani Classic Charity live auction will be professional
auctioneer Paul Bielby of Benefit Auctions, who has helmed other
international art auctions, including at past Caetani Splash fundraisers.
Besides the artwork, the auction will also feature a flight for two
anywhere that WestJet flies and a luxury vacation package to Tuscany,
Italy. A golf vacation package in Mexico will also be part of the silent
auction.

The gala dinner and auction will take place in The Rise’s brand new
restaurant The Edge, and will be one of the first events to take place in
the venue.

“It is a beautiful new space for Vernon and has incredible views of
Okanagan Lake and the valley below and I hear the food is as good as the
views,” said Sattu Mahapatra, Caetani Classic committee chair. “We are very
grateful to our title sponsor SC Carts as well as to all the other
businesses, organizations and artists who have generously donated to our
event.”

Preceding the gala will be a fun nine-hole golf tournament that will
feature a shotgun start and Texas Scramble play.

Patrons can opt to attend both the golf tournament and gala, or for limited
tickets, just the gala dinner and auction, which also includes a cocktail
reception.

Tickets for the Sept. 10  event are available at the Ticket Seller
<https://www.ticketseller.ca/tickets/event/caetani-classic>. The catalogue
for artwork up for auction will be available for viewing in the next week
at Benefit Auctions <https://benefitauction.ca/auction/>.

-30-



[image: aj jaeger with Sveva Caetani's Ganesha.jpg]

Photo caption: Caetani Cultural Centre Society President aj jaeger holds
the Sveva Caetani painting of Ganesha, which will be auctioned off at the
Caetani Classic Charity Golf and Gala for the Arts on Sept. 10 at The Rise
Resort.

About the Caetani Centre:

The Caetani Centre is a vibrant and innovative arts and culture facility
centered around a designated heritage home, gallery, exhibition space, and
artist studio, all located on a beautiful 1.3 acre property in the heart of
Vernon, BC.

The centre is known as one of the best-loved locations for arts and culture
in the North Okanagan, welcoming visitors and artists from around the world
each year. The Caetani Centre offers regional, national and international
initiatives and cultural programming, events and festivals.

Rooted in the compelling legacy of resilience and strength of Sveva
Caetani, the Caetani Centre strives to ignite the power of art and story to
inspire people, create community and enrich lives.

Sveva Caetani’s life was one of both grandeur and hardship. Her father was
a duke and prince whose family line could be traced back more than ten
centuries in Italy. Yet, circumstances would lead to Sveva becoming
completely isolated in the family home in Vernon, BC,  for 25 years. Upon
her emergence from isolation, Sveva was able to reintegrate into society,
in large part because of her involvement in the local arts and culture
community of the Greater Vernon area, who welcomed her with open arms.

When Sveva left her home to the community of Greater Vernon in 1994 it was
with the express wish that the house and property serve as a cultural
facility for artistic expression and exploration in the North Okanagan. Due
to community support and funding, this vision for her home has become
reality. The Caetani Centre continues to bring together the past and
present to inspire creativity and community. For more information about
Sveva Caetani and the Caetani Centre, please visit www.caetani.org.

Media Contacts:

Laisha Rosnau

Executive Director

ed at caetani.org

250-275-1525

Kristin Froneman

Programs and Communications

programs at caetani.org

250-275-1525
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