Copy Mark Hix’s Taste in Art
Today, Mark Hix's curated selection of contemporary art went on sale.
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The verdict is in: Mark Hix has great taste outside the kitchen. The chef, food writer and restauranteur has curated a sale of contemporary art in London that went up for auction today, 11 April.
Mark has hand-picked a selection of his favourite works from artists including Banksy, Michael Craig-Martin and Harland Miller, for Sotheby’s ‘Contemporary Curated’ sale in London.
Copy Mark Hix’s Taste in Art
Chris Floyd
Mark Hix is as old a player on the art scene as he is in the food world. He lived and worked in Shoreditch in the 1990s alongside the likes of Tracey Emin, Carl Freedman, Bob & Roberta Smith and Damien Hirst – with whom he joined forces in 2016 to open ‘Pharmacy 2’ at Newport Street Gallery, Vauxhall. Today, Mark has built an extensive personal collection, transforming the interiors of his restaurants and home with flatworks, sculpture and suspended mobiles, commissioning work from his many emerging and established artist friends.
The sale offered collectors the opportunity to acquire accessibly priced works by leading and lesser-known artists, with estimates starting at just £200.
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Lot 23, Banksy, Smiling Copper, sold £137,500
‘I lived for 20 odd years in Shoreditch and often saw new pieces of street art on my way to work in the mornings on my Vespa. Overnight in the dark hours buildings would get the street art graffiti treatment much of which was Banksy. Before anyone knew who, he was and he often frequented my restaurant the Rivington.’ – Mark Hix
For many young artists The HIX Award is a first step to life beyond university. The award was established by Mark to provide a platform to both current students and recent graduates. Nominees are given the opportunity to exhibit at HIX ART, a subterranean gallery beneath Tramshed in Shoreditch, where their works are placed before 25 judges. Judges have previously included Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk, Stephen Webster and Dylan Jones. This year’s Contemporary Curated sale will feature work from 2016’s HIX Award winner Joshua Raz.
Lot-22, Harland-Miller, Can I get Involved in Your Crisis, sold £36,250
