Tusk Gala Dinner – New York
At the Tusk Gala Dinner in New York City some of my photographs were auctioned off with the entirety of the winning bids going back to Tusk. There were also pledge cards to purchase signed copies of my book – Wild Encounters – the first edition of which, has very limited availability.
In total over $180,000 was raised from the sale of these various items. This is the main event each year where I can give back to an NGO that lends support to me in the field in Africa and endorses my work back home. I am proud to be Tusk’s affiliated photographer and very flattered that my work can generate such material sums. It is also good for the soul to be able to give back to a continent that has given me so much.
In the auction, conducted by Sotheby’s, one image of mine – The King and I – was particularly well bid for. In the end, I agreed to sell two copies at $50,000 each. This is a record price for a David Yarrow image and I thank both bidders for their generosity of spirit on the evening. It seems a long time ago that outside Southfields tube station – during Wimbledon fortnight – I sold my images of the tennis players for £20 a piece. It was indeed a long time ago – 32 years to be exact, but the price trend is encouraging.
I look forward to working in collaboration with Tusk for many years to come, the evening was a great team effort. My thanks to Ellen O’Connell, Charlie Mayhew, Mark Franklin and John Heminway for his kind comments that night. Tusk are a “best in class” organisation and I look forward to working in collaboration with them for many years.