Evanston Library Painting Sells
for $900,000 at Auction
At the Fountain, an 1897 painting by French artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau that was bequeathed to the Evanston (Ill.) Public Library in 1925, enriched EPL’s coffers by a whopping $900,000 November 3 when it was sold at auction by Sotheby’s in New York City. One of five bidders, the buyer was identified only as a private American collector.
In July, when the library board and city council made the controversial decision to sell the painting, it was valued at somewhere between $500,000 and $800,000.
Library Director Neal J. Ney said the money would be used to buy books, periodicals, videos, and recordings. “It’s not a revolution, but it’s certainly a big bump up,” he said of the painting’s contribution to the budget in the November 4 Chicago Tribune. The first allocation of cash is not expected until March 2001.
Posted November 8, 1999.
|
