The fact that Wall Street was heading for ruin didn't stop Toronto's elite art collectors - many of them also Toronto's elite financial execs - from dressing up and going out to the Toronto International Art Fair for the opening-night preview, strolling and shopping in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, which was transformed into an art supermarket of 100 galleries from 14 different countries.
Robert Harding, chairman of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., was certainly not holding back. Spotted at Olga Korper's booth, Mr. Harding pointed out that he owned one of almost every artist she represented. "He's a loyal client, so we're nice to him," Ms. Korper said. "And he's so charming!"
Amongst a crowd of blondes (not all real), one redhead stood out. Her name is Back of Shelley and she was sculpted by Evan Penny. Perhaps out of envy, Linda Book, director of Yorkville's Drabinsky Gallery, leaned her own ginger 'do into the $90,000 more-than-life-size work to show the resemblance. Indeed, the two could very well be twins separated at birth.
Tickets for the night were $190 and all the money raised went to the Art Gallery of Ontario. In turn, the AGO spent a good portion of those funds - $310,000, all told - to purchase three works at the show for its permanent collection.
1. Drabinsky Gallery's Linda Book with Evan Penny's sculpture Back of Shelley
2. Holt Renfrew's Marlo Szellos, left; hairstylist Jie Matar; and Jennifer Feireira
3. OCAD's Charles Reeve with French performance artist Orlan
4. Linda Martinello, left; Robert Harding of Brookfield Asset Management; and Shelli Cassidy-McIntosh of Olga Korper gallery
5. Gallery owner Clint Roenisch, left; Shanitha Kachan; and artist Harold Klunder