Thieves Market Reborn for Charity

What’s a Thieves Market? A place to steal a bargain. Junk mixed with goodies. A way to raise a charity dollar. And UCLA Art Council, with the revival of its once-famous Thieves Market, this past weekend combined all that.

When the council launched its first Thieves Market in 1964, the event was a co-production by Frances Brody and the late Palmer Ducommon. Within a few years, the net had built to $290,000, making the biennial event one of the city’s biggest fund-raisers. It was a place to find whole sets of sterling, antique chests and dining room tables with 12 chairs straight from the most elegant confines of Hancock Park. Over the years, until 1982, the benefits raised$1.75 million for UCLA art projects.

Then costs escalated. Trucking fees for merchandise pickup became prohibitive. Finding free warehouses and sale locations became a problem. (Bekins Moving and Storage and Gucci both contributed warehouse locations this year.) Garage sales competed. Tax breaks made it much less attractive for donors to part with treasures. And, seven years ago, the market was canceled.

In spite of it all, Art Council president Connie Nagler and co-chairs Marian Mandel and Muriel Simkin decided to revive the legendary market for the council’s 35th anniversary. It got its send-off Friday evening with a preview show for 600 (tickets $150) in a hangar at Santa Monica Airport donated by Judi Barker, who moved out planes Wednesday for the merchandise that 800 Council members had spent thousands of volunteer hours collecting, carting, cataloguing and pricing.

Friday evening, the live auction conducted by Bob Abell wasn’t always getting top prices from an audience that had feasted nicely on Rococo-catered cuisine and wanted to chat instead of bid. The touted 1926 Ford went for $3,200 of the anticipated $10,000. However, with Angie Dickinson cajoling, the gold necklace she modeled brought a favorable $6,500 from Stanley and Marian Brown.

Nevertheless, the auction was expected to bring in nearly $60,000, and with the public sale, held Saturday, a total net of more than $150,000 is predicted when figures are tallied.

Many in the audience had been at the first Thieves Markets--Jerry and Virginia Oppenheimer, Judith and Dr. Franklin Murphy, Yvonne Lenart, Margot Bamberger, Hannah and Edward Carter, Mabel and James Pollak, Carmela Speroni, Rupert Allan, Lani Bernhard, Bob and Marilyn Ehrman, and Ann Straus.

Most walked out with treasures and gifts that included luncheons for two at the Bullocks Tea Room. “It was a good revival,” Nagler said. “I’m sure we’ll do it again.”