With Ava: The Secret Conversations, written by and starring Elizabeth McGovern, currently running at Riverside Studios until 16 April 2022, the West London cultural hub today launches a charity auction in collaboration with The Art Hound Gallery to bid for a single, rare, co-signed Diamond Dust Silkscreen portrait of Elizabeth McGovern by renowned British artist David Studwell.
Bidding goes live at 10am on Thursday 24 February and ends at 10pm Sunday 13 March. All proceeds from the auction will go to social enterprise Under One Sky, nominated by McGovern, which aims to end homelessness in the UK.
The artwork was created for the exhibition Bad Reputation, a 4-month epic art exhibition that runs at Riverside Studios until 18 April 2022.
Much of David Studwell’s work focuses on celebrity – the good and the bad, the past and the present – and is therefore a natural tie-in with the play and Elizabeth’s fascination with Ava Gardner. He uses diamond dust to reflect glamour and decadence. The diamond dust screen prints he created of Elizabeth reflect the glamour of Hollywood in the 50s and 60s; when the word celebrity held a different meaning.
Elizabeth McGovern says today “I am pleased to collaborate with The Art Hound Gallery, Riverside Studios and David Studwell to support Under One Sky – a charity that is close to my heart.”
Riverside Studios’ Creative Director, Rachel Tackley, says: “We are delighted to launch this auction in aid of Under One Sky to support people living on the streets in London and beyond. David’s portrait of Elizabeth is stunning. Come and see it at Riverside and make a bid!”
Ava: The Secret Conversations is based on the book The Secret Conversations written by Peter Evans and Ava Gardner, starring Elizabeth McGovern and Anatol Yusef and directed by Gaby Dellal.
A fading star of Hollywood’s golden age, now living a quiet life in 1980s London, hires a journalist to write her biography in order to bring in much needed income. The journalist can’t believe his luck. From poor Southern farm girl to a powerful Hollywood goddess her story is pure celluloid. A devastating beauty whose hard drinking, hard loving lifestyle kept the gossip columnists busy as her movies thrilled the punters. The ultimate femme fatale – Ava Gardner.
Bidding for the portrait goes live at 10am Thursday 24 February: www.thearthoundgallery.com/collections/david-studwell-x-elizabeth-mcgovern-under-one-sky-charity-auction
