On Saturday, May 15, 2004 at Wychwood (seen at right), author and Tiffany Design Director John Loring will auction over two dozen works from the Oyster Bay Historical Society's Art of Oyster Bay Exhibit for the benefit of the Society's Building Fund.

Art of Oyster Bay committee members Barrie Curtis Spies, Director Tom Kuehhas, Curator Yvonne Noonan-Cifarelli, and Chair Maureen Monck. Courtesy of the Oyster Bay Enterprise-Pilot.

Celebrating 350 Years of Oyster Bay History.
The Exhibit, which was mounted as part of Oyster Bay's 350th Anniversary celebration, included artwork of historical scenes and personalities, as well as landscapes, village scenes, and harbor views. Both period and contemporary work were represented, some created expressly to raise funds for the Society's new library and collections storage facility. Housed in the Society's Earle-Wightman House Museum, the Exhibit ran from November 2003 through late March 2004, when a gala reception was held for the artists.

Franklin Perrell, curator of the Nassau County Museum of Fine Arts in Roslyn said of the Exhibit, "The quality is extraordinary and it is very impressive that there is this much talent in our community. The level of art produced is a great credit to Oyster Bay as an inspiration for artists."  Mr. Perrell's oil painting, The Birds Feast on Beekman Beach, seen at right, was included in the Exhibit and will be part of the auction.

Lecture on Tiffany opens Auction.
The auction will include works from the Exhibit as well as a select quantity of authentic Tiffany artifacts and signed Oleg Cassini sketches of Jacqueline Kennedy. It will be held at the stately Gold Coast home of Mr. Henry Luce III in Mill Neck, NY. John Loring, the celebrated Design Director at Tiffany & Co. since 1979, will open the festivities at 4:00 p.m. with an illustrated lecture on the gems of Tiffany.

Mr. Loring, who was the New York bureau chief of the Architectural Digest before joining Tiffany's, is the author of more than a dozen books about Tiffany, the man and the store, including Louis Comfort Tiffany at Tiffany & Co., Tiffany's 20th Century, Magnificent Tiffany Silver, Tiffany Flora & Fauna, Tiffany Jewels, and Tiffany in Fashion. Mr. Loring, seen at right, has graciously consented to act as auctioneer for the auction, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, December 6, 2003 but was cancelled because of a snow storm.

Silent and Live Auction
The silent auction of fifteen items from the Art of Oyster Bay Exhibit will take place before the lecture, as participants enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the reception rooms at Wychwood. The live auction will be held after the lecture. Acting as auctioneer, Mr. Loring will offer the remaining twelve items from the Exhibit -- and a select quantity of authentic Tiffany artifacts and signed Oleg Cassini sketches of Jacqueline Kennedy. You can view and bid online for the items from the Art of Oyster Bay Exhibit until Friday, May 14, 2004 at 5:00 p.m.

Benefit Auction
Proceeds of the auction will benefit the Oyster Bay Historical Society's Building Fund, established to construct a safe, archival library and collections storage facility. By participating in the auction, you help preserve and protect the Society's priceless historical and genealogical collections.