The Filthy Fox Auction Club
Paula Pfitzner & Alexandra Hochguertel
arts & culture
Website
Founder bio
As a postgraduate Fine Art student (MFA, Central Saint Martins), Paula is aware of the struggle many of her peers face upon graduation. Finding and taking advantage of the few opportunities available to emerging artists is crucial for survival. In addition to her artistic practice, Paula has held freelance positions at contemporary art galleries, art fairs, and auctions in Germany, the US, and the Netherlands, developing a commercial understanding of the sector as well. This insight into the industry revealed an uneven power structure in the art market which she wishes to disrupt.
With a degree in Design Management and Cultures (BA, London College of Communication), Alexandra brings problem-solving expertise to the table. Her graduate project proposed a value exchange between artists and art enthusiasts outside of the existing gallery setting. She built a service that listed and provided private housing as unusual exhibition spaces tailored to a new generation of crafty and self-sufficient artists. Alexandra instinctively understands the value of engagement between artists and art enthusiasts and how these groups often struggle to find the right communication channel. It is this very divide they are planning to bridge with The Filthy Fox Auction Club.
Venture profile
A deficient proportion of graduates are picked up by commercial galleries or make a living solely off their art upon leaving art school. The Filthy Fox Auction Club believes these young, talented, but often overlooked artists provide promising market potential. Therefore, it’s decided to develop a more inclusive auction service tailored to younger buyers, offering pieces from art graduates in the price range of £50-£4,000. It represents London’s promising art students from colleges such as Slade, Royal College of Art, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea, Goldsmith’s, and Camberwell. The founders believe that the more affordable price point, informal and vibrant environment will attract those art enthusiasts who currently feel out of place in and priced out of the existing contemporary art market. By reinventing the experience of live auctions, The Filthy Fox Auction Club introduces promising art students and helps them launch their careers. Its platform entails offline pop-up auctions in unique places around London and streamed online auctions through social media. The focus of these events is creating an engaging setup for first-time buyers and artists through playful performance and a tongue-in-cheek attitude.
Mission
The Filthy Fox Auction Club introduces a new, exciting auction platform, selling fresh works from London’s arts graduates. By building a bridge between young artists and a wider audience of new buyers, the founders wish to replace the top-down hierarchy of the art market.
The Filthy Fox Auction Club aims to empower early career artists by providing a route towards financial and artistic independence. It will act as an agency - guiding and nourishing young talent - without locking them into codependent relationships. Having found its roots in the anxiety surrounding the future, post-graduation, The Filthy Fox Auction Club’s mission is to support artists through this unpredictable, disorientating, and taxing period. It aims to enable dialogue, leading to organic growth driven by its community of artists and buyers.
The Filthy Fox Auction Club strives for a sustainable shift in the contemporary art market by redefining what an auction is and who it is for. By creating a mutual interest, the platform empowers both art graduates, and art lovers keen on investing in courageous artworks outside the white cube.
