Partial Proceeds to Benefit Students at the CIA
New Braunfels, TX – Lark Mason Associates is pleased to present “Property from the Collection of Anthony Bourdain,” a one-of-a-kind auction that will open for bidding online at starting October 9 and running through October 30. The auction showcases nearly 200 lots that Anthony Bourdain personally acquired during his life and it includes some of his most valued possessions: artwork, books, home and decorative furnishings, knives, wristwatches, apparel, and more. A significant portion of the proceeds will benefit the at his alma mater, The Culinary Institute of America. The scholarship was established—in the spirit of Bourdain himself—to support CIA students pursuing a semester abroad or taking part in one of the college’s global cuisines and cultures international programs. The remaining proceeds will go to the estate of Anthony Bourdain.
“We are extremely delighted to join forces with the Bourdain family and The Culinary Institute of America to sponsor this auction of uniquely personal items from the Anthony Bourdain estate,” says Lark Mason. “He was a larger-than-life personality with so many interests other than food and this sale reflects his multidimensional persona. We have kept the estimates low so that everyone who loved Tony will have the opportunity to purchase something from this sale and know that part of the proceeds will be going to a good cause.”
The sale is divided into categories that reflect Bourdain’s multifarious interests: film, art, cooking, travel, writing, and his endless observations of world culture. Exhibitions of select items will run concurrently at Lark Mason Associates in New Braunfels, TX, Gallery, 210 West Mill Street and in New York City at 227 East 120th Street; as well as at Everard and Company in Savannah, GA, at 2436 Waters Avenue, Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Further details are available at .
Among the highlights are:
- Brad Phillips (Canadian), Cristine and Me as Still-Life, oil on canvas, 2016 (Est: $2,000–$4,000)
- John Lurie (American, born 1952), This Party Sucks, watercolor on paper (Est: $1,000–$2,000)
- Peter Lovig Nielsen teak flip-top desk, Denmark, 20th century (Est: $800–$1,200)
- Custom Bob Kramer steel and meteorite chef’s knife (Est: $4,000–$6,000)
- Chrome duck press from the Paris episode of The Layover (Est: $200–$300)
- A Vietnamese blue-and-white ceramic tall bottle form vase, with cover (Est: $250–$450)
An original typed manuscript of an early draft for A Bone in the Throat by Anthony Bourdain (Est: $700–$1,000) as well as The Simpsons script for “The Food Wife,” with signed inscriptions to Bourdain (Est.: $800–$1,200) are also on offer.
The auction will continue Anthony Bourdain’s interest in education via the Anthony Bourdain Legacy Scholarship at the CIA. Donations from the sale, equal to 40% of the hammer price, will be made by the Bourdain family. Chef Bourdain graduated from the CIA in 1978. In 2017, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in Culinary Arts, presented by CIA President Tim Ryan, who acknowledged his importance as “possibly the most recognizable food personality on the planet.”
“We are deeply honored that the Bourdain family has chosen to further Anthony’s curiosity and passion for learning through this generous donation that will support CIA students in their journeys,” says Dr. Ryan. “The ability to travel and experience other cuisines and cultures first-hand is a priceless gift that will ensure that his legacy lives on in the future leaders of the food world.”
Wrote his biographer and assistant Laurie Woolever: Tony was an enthusiast—of film, of literature, good sharp knives, meaningful mementos of his travels, comedy, contemporary art, and of observing the ways that people lived, ate, and loved all over the world. He never failed to be astonished by his good fortune, which allowed him to collaborate with some of his idols—a book cover drawn by the great illustrator Ralph Steadman, for instance, and a GQ photo shoot with rock idol Iggy Pop. Tony loved a well-cut suit, bespoke shoes, a spy novel, a simple omelet, odd medical instruments, old maps, and a tale well-told. He died in 2018 at the age of 61 in France.
Photo Captions and Hi-Res Images:
Top Photo: A significant portion of the proceeds of the October 2019 Lark Mason Associates auction of “Property from the Collection of Anthony Bourdain” will benefit the Anthony Bourdain Legacy Scholarship at The Culinary Institute of America. (Photo credit: CIA/Keith Ferris)
Photo 2: Among the items from the collection of Anthony Bourdain up for auction in October 2019 is a custom-made Bob Kramer steel and meteorite chef’s knife. (Photo credit: Courtesy Lark Mason Associates)
Photo 3: Among the items from the collection of Anthony Bourdain up for auction in October 2019 is a chrome duck press that was featured in an episode of Bourdain’s travel program, The Layover. (Photo credit: Courtesy Lark Mason Associates)
Media Contacts:
Marilyn White
Lark Mason Associates
973-783-3649
mwhitepr@gmail.com
Jeff Levine
The Culinary Institute of America
845-451-1372
Jeff.Levine@culinary.edu
About Lark Mason
With locations in New Braunfels, TX and New York City, Lark Mason Associates, the eponymous, auction house specializing in Asian, ethnographic, and ancient works of art, was founded by Lark Mason after many years as an expert at Sotheby’s New York.
Mason served as a general appraiser from 1979 until 1985, and as a senior vice president and specialist in Chinese art with Sotheby’s Chinese Works of Art Department from 1985–2003. From 2000–2003, he concurrently was a director of online auctions for Sothebys.com. He also served as a consulting curator at the Trammel and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, TX from 2003–2009. He is a generalist in American and European works of art and paintings, as well as an expert in the field of Chinese art and has valued and advised many private collectors and institutions.
Lark Mason Associates regularly hosts auctions on the iGavel Auctions platform and has an established history of record sales of Chinese and other works of art and holds the record for the highest price achieved for any work of art in an online sale, for a painting sold in May 2014 that realized close to $4.2 million. Mason, the owner and CEO of iGavel Auctions, is noted for his regular appearances on Antiques Roadshow.
About The Culinary Institute of America:
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking & pastry arts, food business management, hospitality management, culinary science, and applied food studies. The college also offers executive education, certificate programs, and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made the CIA the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of more than 50,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the food world. The CIA has locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.
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