First Ever Riverboat Art Auction Sets Covid-19 Era Record

Park West Gallery, the world’s largest art dealer, successfully set sail on its first two cruises of 2021 after more than a yearlong hiatus due to Covid-19. The trip included Park West’s first-ever riverboat art auctions, delighting all our VIP collectors.

Park West clients’ health and safety was a top priority, beginning with all guests and staff receiving two consecutive Covid-19 negative tests, one before flying to the departure port administered by Vault Health and one before boarding the American Duchess Riverboat administered by Impact Health. 120 clients made the voyage on each of two cruises beginning March 15 sailing from New Orleans to Memphis and then on March 22 sailing from Memphis to New Orleans. During the art auction event, special guest appearances were made by artists Scott Jacobs, Kre8, Allison Lefcort, Tim Yanke, Michael Godard, David “Lebo” Le Batard, Alexandre Renoir, Orlando Quevedo, and James Coleman.

In addition to Covid-19 testing and daily temperature checks for clients and staff members, all staterooms were sanitized using fogging twice a day, masks were worn and social distancing guidelines were adhered to, and shore excursions were done exclusively with the Park West group members to minimize risk and keep everyone who had been tested, “in the bubble.”

“Heading into 2021, we had a vision and a plan to bring cruising back to our clients and I am proud to say we successfully made that happen,” said John Block, Executive Vice President of Park West Gallery. “Our clients’ safety is our top priority and thankfully we’ve been able to host events that strictly adhere to Covid-19 guidelines. We were diligent with testing and our clients were more than cooperative with each of the procedures that provided an enjoyable, safe and exciting voyage for them.”

During the riverboat art auctions, a special focus was put on raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Amelia Island Jazz Festival. In total, over $150,000 was raised between these two organizations.

“We are delighted to see the world starting to open up again and we look forward to scheduling VIP Cruise dates with more of our cruise line partners as they set sail later in 2021,” said Block.

In addition to in-person events, Park West also hosts live-streaming online art auctions every weekend. To learn more about Park West’s online collecting events, visit https://www.parkwestgallery.com/online/.

Follow Park West Gallery on social media