Mary-Kate And Ashley Olsen Host 11th Annual Free Arts Auction

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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen hosted the 11th Annual Free Arts Auction at Saatchi and Saatchi last Friday night. The two gamines even bid on some art, the profits of which will go to support the Free Arts NYC programs for Children.-

Attendees were greeted at the door of the Hudson Street venue by a horde of paparazzi--except this particular horde was made up of 12 year-olds wielding Polaroid cameras, who were participating in some kind of "Young Paparazzi" project.

Once past the pint-sized paps and Step and Repeat, guests entered the main room, where they were instantly greeted with champagne and margaritas. Drinks in hand, guests circled around the perimeter of the room, where the wall-space was almost completely covered in art pieces, ranging from photography portraits (including a cool portrait of Patti Smith on the Bowery in 1976) to mixed media paintings. Bidders bid on silent auction items by writing their names and bids on paper tacked next to each piece, often returning 3 or 4 times throughout the night to ensure they had the winning bid.

Auctioneer Simon de Pury led the live auction, and Mary Alice Stephenson took to the podium to urge attendees to bid generously. After the auction, a large, old-fashioned camera was set up in the corner and guests queued in line to have their picture taken, while Donna D'Cruz manned the DJ Booth.

Attendees included Nigel Barker, Rachel Roy, Euan Rellie, Amy Fine Collins and Lauren Goodman.