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Celebrity Art Goes on the Block Online

HP, Amazon sponsor charity auction of art by Leno, Morissette, Bee Gees, others.

By Eileen Smith, PCWorld   

Well, the answer may depend on your definition of art, but their artwork and more will be open for online bidding Tuesday night at the HP Digital Art Exhibit and Celebrity Art Auction. The auction goes live at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and will be hosted on Amazon.com's LiveBid Auctions.

The star-studded event, sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, features digital artwork and memorabilia donated mostly by celebrities, athletes, and others in the entertainment industry. The artwork is printed on HP ink jet and large-format desktop printers. The autographed reproductions are custom framed and shipped to the highest bidder.

All the proceeds from the auction will benefit R.E.A.C.H., or Rallying the Entertainment and Athletic Communities to Help, a nonprofit organization that brings education programs to disadvantaged students. The funds will support the After-School Fine Arts Class for students in grades 7 through 12.

A professional auctioneer will moderate the event, which is expected to last two hours, through live-streamed audio. Participants must preregister at Amazon.com by noon Tuesday.

The auction also contains digital artwork from musician Alanis Morissette, the Bee Gees, director Rob Reiner, comedian Tracy Ullman, and singer Britney Spears. You'll find quite a selection of milk advertising campaign ads as well.

A piece entitled "Swallowed by the Long Hot Summer" from Alexandra Nechita, the 14-year-old prodigy who has been dubbed the "Petite Picasso," is expected to attract a lot of bidding.

The event may be an opportunity for HP to showcase its high-end desktop print quality and digital imaging goals. But it's also for a great cause--and you could walk away with an autographed Bee Gees "One Night Only" concert poster.

If you miss the auction, you can also catch the show through November live in person. The HP Digital Art Exhibit virtual gallery Web site will be featured at both the Los Angeles Children's Museum and the Manhattan Children's Museum.