Watch Dayton men break record, spend thousands during art auction

A record-breaking dogfight captivated the audience at Dayton Visual Art Center’s 22nd annual Art Auction on Friday.

Two men squared off during the live auction for a spectacular piece by critically acclaimed local painter John Emery.

Auctioneer extraordinaire Doug Sorrell proclaimed at the $3,600 mark that he had never sold a piece for that much during his long involvement with the auction.

The price went much, much higher than that before a long-time local art collector seized victory of Emery's "Stone Fruit," a three dimensional, watercolor construction.    

A piece by Emery has been featured in every DVAC Art Auction.

Eva Buttacavoli, DVAC's executive director, confirmed today that it was a record-breaking DVAC auction sale.

Check out the video above to see how high it went for yourself.

Buttacavoli said 700 people attended the event that brought in more than $70,000.

"Everyone who bought a ticket and art is a champion for DVAC," she said.

The event also included a silent auction.

All in all, Buttacavoli said more 100 pieces were sold.

"The big deal is how the community comes out to support DVAC every April," she said.

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