Art collectors flocked to Bath this week as the city’s Minerva’s Owls public sculpture trail came to a successful end with a charity auction that raised nearly £140,000.
Bidding on the 61 owls took place in a room of hundreds of excited buyers, as well as online – which allowed fans from around the world to get in on the action.
More than half of the night’s sales – which totalled £139,200 – were made by online bidders through TheAuctionRoom.com
As a result, a number of the owl sculptures will now fly overseas – with Bubo by artist Jane Skuse, which was displayed at the Roman Baths this summer, making the 1,200-mile trip to Budapest after first enchanting the successful bidder when they visited the Minerva’s Owls of Bath trail this summer. Another will be heading to Languedoc in France.
The stand-out stars of the auction were Octavius, designed by Joanna Dewfall, which went for £7,500 followed by fan favourite JK Owling by Jo McCarron, which sold for £5,500 and Festiv’owl created by Horrible Histories illustrator Martin Brown, which was won for a successful bid of £4,000.
The auction at Bath’s Apex Hotel in Bath benefitted four local charities – the Royal United Hospital Cancer Centre, Bath Young Carers Centre, Roman Baths Archway Project and UK Little Owl Project.
The sculpture trail delighted tens of thousands of Bath residents and visitors for three months this summer.
Event organiser Megan Witty said: “The auction has proved to be a fitting finale for the Minerva’s Owls of Bath. We’re so happy that after bringing so much fun and colour to the city over the summer, the beautifully decorated owls have also raised much-needed funds for our four partner charities. The money will directly benefit the lives of thousands of people in Bath and the surrounding area and will leave a legacy for many years to come.”
The event was hosted by auctioneer Addison Gelpey, star of Channel 5’s Storage, Flog the Lot, pictured above, assisted by Olympic Gold medallist Amy Williams MBE, who painted her own owlet for the occasion and which was first unveiled to the public at the Owls of Bath Hoot Farewell Weekend in September.
Guests at the auction were also treated to live music by a live musical performance by Harry Romer, the 15-year-old Bath busker and finalist of ITV’s The Voice Kids.
Minerva’s Owls was backed by a large number of Bath businesses with headline sponsor SouthGate joined by supporters ranging from workplace design firm Interaction and software developer Rocketmakers to legal eagles Mogers Drewett and Mowbray Woodwards.
