Sylvette Babin
Les éditions Esse Director
The Esse team is always enthusiastic about attacking the mountain of work that surrounds an edition of the Vendu-Sold auction. Although, for this event, our eyes are turned mainly toward questions around collecting—a subject we’ve learned a lot about over the years—it is important to remember that what also brings us together is our desire to preserve the analysis of art by publishing a magazine. Today, as digital technology is becoming more and more predominant, producing a magazine in paper format is an act of faith—even of resistance. Our motto, “Lire l’art,” puts our convictions in plain view!
We have therefore taken a range of actions to keep the focus on art and critical thought. Our latest three thematic sections look at plastics, abstraction, and decay; they draw generously on local and international artists. In these issues, don’t forget to read our Tête à tête chronicles with Geneviève Cadieux, Françoise Sullivan, and Michael Flomen, all of whom are included in the auction. These artists, along with Raymonde April, Monique Mongeau, Guy Pellerin, and Gabor Szilasi, also in our 2025 selection, have laid out the path for future generations of contemporary artists to follow. Also this year, we have continued to develop our digital residencies for young authors, giving them an opportunity to revisit landmark texts of recent decades. This program is added to our Young Critics competition, launched twenty-two years ago to support the next generation of art writers.
Our team’s dedication, determination, and achievements are also underscored and recognized by our peers. We’re thrilled to have been nominated again this year for Best Magazine: Art, Literary, & Culture award at the National Magazine Awards, and we’re also in the running for the Editor Grand Prix. We accept these signs of recognition humbly—we know that the magazine sector is prolific and full of talent—but also with the pride of seeing that our efforts at spreading the word are bearing fruit. And it is to continue this effort with discipline and quality that we organize our fundraising event.
After celebrating Vendu–Sold’s fifteenth anniversary (and Esse’s fortieth) in 2024, we took stock to see how we could innovate and yet preserve the excellence for which our auction is known. We decided to enhance the activity Vendu–Sold en coulisse by holding a discussion around some of the themes that stand out in the selection and leaving more time for questions from the audience. These festive and unifying activities—whether it’s the opening evening, the brunch on the final day, or the private meetings accorded to collectors who request one—are defined by a spirit of welcome and by our hope to create points of contact with art and the artists. In a word, they reflect our desire to share more deeply with you the passion that lives within us.
Don’t miss out on the fun!
Biographical note
Sylvette Babin holds an MFA in studio arts from Concordia University and for many years has had a multidisciplinary art practice. She has published in various books and is particularly interested in contextual art forms staging the body or employing writing as an apparatus, as well as practices raising ethical and environmental issues.
Photo : © Alain Beauchesne