Toronto's financial community signalled there's life after the credit crunch Thursday night by digging deep for art.
About 300 bankers and money managers - and most of Rogers Communications' executive team - put on their best black and headed for the 13th annual Gallery Hop. The event is a fundraiser for the Canadian Art Foundation and featured auctions of works by contemporary Canadian artists, and the bidding blew away estimates.
In the live auction, Paintings by Dil Hildebrand, Jason McLean and Daniel Langevin and a photo from Grey Girard were expected to bring $3,000 to $4,000 each. When the gavel came down, each piece went for double that price. The buzz in the room was festive, not funereal.
Bank of Montreal's Harris Private Banking unit was a major sponsor on the night, along with CIBC, Rogers and RBC Dominion Securities, and buy-side firms Gluskin Sheff + Associates and Wellington Financial.
