Unicorn with ballerina legs, tortuous lamp & other unusual items

Often, I find myself face to face with items at auction that cause me to just stop and stare.

I stop because I’m baffled by the item in front of me.

Or I’m stumped by how awful and stupefying it looks.

An up-close view of a wooden unicorn with ballerina legs.

Or I wonder how it can be re-purposed into something useful or decorative.

And there are those times when the unusual borders on cute.

I was met with each of these instances recently at different auction houses, and thought I’d share them with you. Are they as unusual to you as they were to me?

wood unicorn with ballerina legs — A full view of the wooden unicorn with ballerina legs.

lamp with wood surround — I wasn’t sure what to make of this grotesque lamp,

This viola back, which was hanging on a wall, attracted three absentee bids.

wood thermometer boy — This wooden thermometer boy appears to be handmade. It is manually operated with the red and white sash.

BUY MY NEW BOOK

“ART WITH HEART: How I Built a Sweet Collection by Buying Cheap at Auction”

I collect art, but I’m not someone who has the means to pay $500,000 for a Charles White or $12 million for a Rembrandt. I’m one of the “rest of us” who want beautiful artwork in our homes but can’t afford to pay big bucks for it.

I found a novel way to build my collection – by buying art for very little money at mom-and-pop auction houses near where I live. I started out buying African American artists whose works spoke to me and were ignored by the mainstream art world. Then I discovered some other neglected artists who called out just as loud.

My book “ART WITH HEART” Is a selection of stories of how I found art that I loved, how I lost out on some, won others, learned some lessons that I share with you – and enjoyed every minute of it.

So, grab a seat next to me as I take you through the moments I spent building a collection that stirred my heart.

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Listen to and read an excerpt