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Christie’s auction preview and Shawn Colvin

I attended the Christie’s preview reception for their upcoming auction: “First Open: Post-War and Contemporary Art” — not “40 years of Star Trek: The Collection” (which takes place early next month) as the wise guys among you had surmised.

But for all you fanboys:

40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection
September 25 – October 3
Rockefeller Center Concourse

Christie’s presents 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection at auction October 5th-7th. The sale will offer an extraordinary array of property from one of the most groundbreaking and iconic film and television series in history. Items include costumes, props, weapons, artwork, rare furniture, accessories and more, encompassing Star Trek’s prolific 40 year history. Before going to auction, selected items will be on display in the Rockefeller Center Concourse from September 25th-October 3rd.

Edited to add: Admission to the viewing will be via purchase of a $90(!) or $500(!!) auction catalogue or by $25 “Star Pass” only.

M(LF), KP and I headed inside to the galleries together, and wandered among the artwork for auction, plastic wineglasses of chardonnay in hand. Pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, David Hockney, Willem de Kooning… and a lot of others I didn’t recognize. As usual, some of the stuff was downright bizarre: like Tony Feher’s installation of plastic bottles, water, food dye, wire and rope (estimated at $20,000-30,000.)

Here, Rikrit Tiravanija’s silkscreened tent, titled Atlas (a seeming bargain at $5,000-7,000 – and you can sleep in it.) On the left wall, in peach, Imi Knoebel’s Siebeneck (Seven Corners) — enamel on shaped panel, valued at $20,000-$30,000.

Afterwards, there was a private tour and a concert in the “Artist Den” upstairs. Before the main act, we screened taped performances from similar past events: Regina Spektor at The Angel Orensanz Foundation (one of the prettiest event spaces in New York) and Martha Wainwright on the stage we were watching. Finally: Shawn Colvin emerged, looking pretty darned good for her 50 years.

Right before the show, KP reminded me that Colvin’s biggest commercial success was for her single “Sunny Came Home.” All week I had somehow gotten it into my head that she was the artist behind “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” Turns out that’s Paula Cole – so uh, whoops. Both songs were nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 1998 Grammys — incidentally, Colvin won in both categories –- so the confusion is at least a little bit understandable. Paula Cole took Best New Artist that year.

Colvin had a charming, self-deprecating stage presence –- at one point, attempting and quickly abandoning a cover of The Carpenters “I Won’t Last A Day Without You.” She closed out her show with “I Don’t Know Why,” which KP was brave enough to shout out when Colvin asked for requests. Good thing I didn’t ask for “the Cowboy song.”

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