SANTA PAULA, CA – Mark your calendars for the highly anticipated Third Annual Fine and Decorative Art Auction to be held at the Santa Paula Art Museum on Sunday, May 19, 2013. The silent auction begins at 3:00 p.m. with the live auction to follow at 4:30 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the Santa Paula Art Museum. Admission to the auction is $15 for Museum Members and $20 for the general public.

The Museum’s Auction Committee, responsible for carefully vetting the items up for auction, is very excited about the award-winning quality of art being offered this year and is continually adding more to the offerings. A catalog of the auction items is available on the Museum’s website, www.SantaPaulaArtMuseum.org/auction.html, and will be updated as more items are added over the coming weeks. There are works in oil by local favorites Cornelis Botke, Lawrence Hinckley and Douglas Shively. Also up for bid is a gorgeous painting by Ventura artist Gina Niebergall, which was painted in front of a live audience at a demonstration held at the Museum this past February.

There are scenes by Dana Bartlett, past president of the California Art Club and founder of the California Watercolor Society whose works are quite sought-after, and James Guilford Swinnerton, who created one of the earliest comic strips and who was a favorite employee and personal friend of William Randolph Hearst. Another treasure is a seascape by Christian Von Schneidau, a renowned early-20th century impressionist who had Hollywood celebrities like Mary Pickford as his regular patrons. The auction will also include sculpture, early American lithography, delicately handpainted chinawear, and antiques. Wine and gourmet hors d’oeuvres will also be served.

All of the items up for auction are donated from respected private collections. The auction is a wonderful opportunity to donate fine and decorative art from your own collection to benefit a worthy cause. If you are interested in donating an artwork for the auction please contact the Santa Paula Art Museum by calling (805) 525-5554 or email info@SantaPaulaArtMuseum.org.