For more than ten years, the Vendu–Sold auction has been permanently inked into my cultural calendar. I’m always eager to know who the artists are, who’s on the jury, and which works are selected. I look through the names and images with excitement and joy, curious to find out which young artists have made their mark in recent months and to see which major works are showcased. Because that’s one of the strengths of Vendu–Sold: its constantly renewed capacity not just to offer a dynamic overview of today’s Québec and Canadian art but also to bring together established and emerging artists.
My first experience of the event goes back to 2013, when I was studying art history at UQAM. I was so proud to be part of it ... as a volunteer! I have a clear memory of strolling among the guests, armed with a tray full of appetizers or glasses of wine, completely fascinated by the collectors and art professionals in attendance. When, five years later, the magazine’s director, Sylvette Babin, invited me to sit on the jury, I was thrilled to take on the task. That edition of the auction was even more important to me, as I made a first acquisition. Those were exciting times, when a live auctioneer did the honours in the galleries of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. What an adrenalin rush!
Now, a year almost never goes by without a work from Vendu–Sold being added to the collection of Canadian art that my partner, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, and I are building. The auction has become an outing for us as a couple, among friends, with clients. We have discovered artists, introduced people to collecting, made new acquaintances, and, above all, acquired pieces that are still among our favourites at home.
Florence-Agathe Dubé-Moreau
Independent curator and art consultant
Photo: Pierre-Nicolas Lessard
In their collection:
Vicky Sabourin
Le Gant blanc II
2024
Vendu–Sold 2024
Bea Parsons
Pining Away
2022
Vendu–Sold 2022
Irene F. Whittome
Room 901 No 26
1980-1982
Vendu–Sold 2021
Nicolas Grenier
Étude (Free Agents)
2019
Vendu–Sold 2021
Nico Williams
Bad Boys
2017
Vendu–Sold 2019
Thea Yabut
thenar
2018
Vendu–Sold 2019
Stéphane La Rue
Angle of repose #4
2018
Vendu–Sold 2018