CINICINNATI-With 11 days to go, the Contemporary Arts Center confirms estimated values and editions for the art auction and exhibition FORM: Contemporary Architects at Play. The works, exclusively designed for the CAC in Formica® brand materials, are offered in editions of three and one artist proof, making them very rare and of increasing value, ranging from $18,000 to $290,000. The works are on view in exhibition beginning May 3 and in live sale by auctioneer Richard Wright during the Silk & Spice Gala May 10 at the Zaha Hadid-designed Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art. Interested bidders and collectors are encouraged to register now at contemporaryartscenter.org/FORM or by calling 513 345 8411.

"The entire collection is a celebration of imaginative design. We are very pleased, together with Formica Corporation, to be the facilitator of these novel works, particularly Peter Eisenman's first chair design. Every one of these architects gives the collector the chance to own a work of art of high quality and value," says Alice & Harris Weston Director and Chief Curator Raphaela Platow. "This auction represents an extraordinary moment in the Center's nearly 70 years, where internationally renowned architects come together and employ their exceptional creativity in benefit of the CAC."

Architect/designers Peter Eisenman, Michael Graves, Zaha Hadid, Thom Mayne, Bill Pedersen, Laurinda Spear, Bernard Tschumi, Jaime Velez, Massimo Vignelli and Buzz Yudell each contributed a design that one can sit upon, lean upon, lie upon and play upon. Formica Corporation donated the materials and fabrication costs.

These new, original artworks offer unprecedented insight into the architects' unique approach to design. For example:

· Chair #1 by Peter Eisenman is so named because it is the renowned architect's first-ever chair design.

· Zaha Hadid's audacious design for Cirrus alone utilized more than 70 sheets of Black Polished Laminate, accounting for almost half of the total usage of Formica® brand material for the exhibition.

· Michael Graves designed his J Chair so it could be disassembled and placed in flat packaging: "I wanted to use Formica's sheet or flat two-dimensional characteristic, so that the chair could be sent in a flat crate and to allow the buyer to assemble it with very little effort."

· Buzz Yudell studied the classics to name his design SUNERGY, saying, "It is important to know this name derived from the word SYNERGY, which is based on the two Greek roots of SUNERGIA and SUNERGOS, meaning cooperation … the combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects, which vividly describes our design concept."

"This auction/exhibition features works of enormous creativity and value," says Robert Probst, interim dean of the School of Design at the University of Cincinnati. "Pieces like these are part of an artist's life's work - it's what we'll be studying in the classroom years from now. The CAC and Formica have made art history with this project, adding to the wealth of art made this century."

Register to bid, view the architects' designs and see the values estimations at

contemporaryartscenter.org/FORM

View the e-catalog:

http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/FORM/SITE/FORM_CAC_Auction_E-Catalog.pdf

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Participating Architects

Peter Eisenman, Eisenman Architects

Michael Graves, Graves Design

Zaha Hadid, Zaha Hadid Architects

Thom Mayne, Morphosis

Bill Pedersen, Kohn Pedersen Fox

Laurinda Spear, Arquitectonica

Bernard Tschumi, Bernard Tschumi Architects

Jaime Velez, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP

Massimo Vignelli, Vignelli Designs, Inc.

Buzz Yudell, MooreRuble Yudell Architects and Planners

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Live Auction and Exhibition

FORM: Contemporary Architects at Play

Saturday, May 3 through Sunday, August 31, 2008

Live Auction Date: Saturday, May 10, 2008, 7 pm. Pre-registration is required.

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About the Contemporary Arts Center
Founded in November 1939 as the Modern Art Society by three visionary women in Cincinnati, Contemporary Arts Center was one of the first institutions in the U.S. dedicated to exhibiting the art of our time. In May 2003, the Center relocated to its first free-standing home, the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, designed by Zaha Hadid. Throughout its distinguished history, the Center has earned a reputation for stimulating thought and introducing new ideas by presenting the work of diverse artists from around the world, including hundreds of now-famous artists such as Laurie Anderson, Jasper Johns, Louise Nevelson, Nam June Paik, I.M. Pei, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker and Andy Warhol. CAC focuses on new developments in painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, performance art and new media, presenting eight to 12 exhibitions and 20 to 40 performances annually.

The CAC is supported by the individuals and business that give annually to the Fine Arts Fund; Ohio Arts Council; City of Cincinnati; All Over Media; and the generous contributions and grants of individuals and corporations and foundations, CAC memberships, facility rentals, special events and sales from the CAC Store.

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