Auction: Makenzy Beard and Supporting Artists
Friday 28th February at 9pm, Millfield’s Atkinson Gallery.
We are thrilled that Millfield art scholar Makenzy Beard, former Christie’s auctioneer and OM Guy Bennett, OM photographer Finn Taylor, OM contemporary visual artist Marc Quinn, crochet and leaf artist Susanna Bauer and photographer and film director Sam Taylor-Johnson, are collaborating in this Millfield Auction. The auction supports the Millfield Foundation's bursary fund, that assists talented students without financial means to attend Millfield. All hammer price proceeds are being fund-raise for the Discover Brilliance campaign for bursaries.
Makenzy Beard
Upper Sixth Makenzy discovered her artistic talent during the pandemic and gained international recognition selling some of her paintings for more than £20,000. Makenzy joined Millfield on an art and hockey scholarship in 2023, benefitting from the schools Brilliance Fund.
Guy Bennett
Guy Bennett was the former International Head of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s, is an Old Millfieldian and current parent. Based in the USA, he is flying over especially to lead the auction.
Sam Taylor-Johnson
Photographer and film director Sam Taylor-Johnson, a supporter of Millfield, has donated a photograph from her own collection to the auction. She gained acclaim for her work at the 1997 Venice Biennale and received a Turner Prize nomination. She has exhibited at the Guggenheim and The Hirshhorn Museum amongst many others. Sam broke records for the biggest opening for a female director for her adaptation of best-selling novel Fifty Shades of Grey. Most recently she directed and produced Back To Black the story of Amy Winehouse.
Finn Taylor
Finn Taylor is a British photographer and director. His strength is his knack of allowing the characters he’s with to shine through in his portraiture. He has photographed athletes, surgeons, pop stars, politicians, gang members, climate activists, academics, footballers, social workers, rappers and humanitarians and has collaborated with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Lewis Hamilton, Robert Lewandowski and Eliud Kipchoge.
Susanna Bauer
Susanna Bauer is a German artist living in the UK who works with fallen leaves and fine crochet to create an intimate dialog with nature. Susanna has exhibited in the UK, USA, Sweden, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and India, and her work has been featured in many publications.
Marc Quinn
Marc Quinn is recognised as one of the leading artists of his generation. His practice – which encompasses sculpture, painting, and drawing – is not easily categorised. His work connects frequently and meaningfully with art history, from old masters to classical antiquity, whilst also drawing on science and the natural world. At its centre is an exploration of the multifaceted experience of being human. Quinn’s work is included in collections around the world, including London’s Tate, National Portrait Gallery, and Science Museum; the Metropolitan Museum and Guggenheim, New York; SFMOMA, San Francisco; Arario Museum, Seoul; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; and the Centre Pompidou, Paris.
LOT 1
John Tucker by Makenzy Beard
- Embellished print
- Framed – 26.2” x 24.8” (66.5 x 88.5 cm)
- Unframed – 23.6” x 31.5” (60 x 80 cm)
"I did this painting of John Tucker, a farmer in my village, when I was 14. I’ve painted lots since then but this is probably still my favourite. It’s the piece that made my parents decide I could actually paint, instead of thinking they were just biased because I’m their child. Also, people say that eyes are the key to the soul but this painting makes me question that."
LOT 2
We'll fly you to the ends of the earth by Finn Taylor
- 2024
- Digital C-type Print on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta Paper
- Framed – 38” x 30” (96.62 x 76.2 cm)
- Unframed – 30.5” x 22.5” (77.5 x 57.2 cm)
This body of photography captures a deeply personal journey intertwined with history, aviation, and conflict. Nick Taylor, a passionate pilot, flew Trident jets for Cyprus Airways before the 1974 Turkish invasion, which left Nicosia Airport abandoned and under UN control. His son, Finn, driven by childhood stories of these planes and his father’s legacy, spent a decade seeking permission to visit the wreckage of 5B-DAB, finally gaining access in 2024. These images are the first prints from that visit, marking the beginning of a broader exploration of the Nicosia Buffer Zone.
LOT 3
Escape Artist (Green and Red) (2010) by Sam Taylor-Johnson
- 2010
- Edition of 175
- Light jet digital c-type on Fuji Crystal archive paper
- Framed - 22.2” x 32.3” (56.5 x 82 cm)
In her lush, highly charged photographs and films, Sam Taylor-Johnson examines “who we are and how we work through our identity, how we perceive ourselves in the world,” as she describes. Though she has photographed unpopulated landscapes, often as stand-ins for emotional states and human subjects, Taylor-Johnson focuses her camera primarily on herself and other people. Never straightforward portraiture, her works abound with psychological, and often physical, tension, with subjects frequently caught in the middle of ambiguous scenarios or in heightened emotional states.
LOT 4
Tabula Rasa by Makenzy Beard
- 2024
- Oil on canvas
- Framed – 22.4” x 22.4” (57 x 57 cm)
- Unframed – 19.7” x 9.7” (50.1 x 50.1 cm)
"The phrase Tabula Rasa means ‘blank slate’ and was used by philosopher John Locke to describe his theory that we are born empty-minded. This painting is my twist on that theory. Using Locke’s concepts, I’ve tried to capture my frustration with being unable to move away from the blank slate; there being so many things that I cannot ever know."
LOT 5
Moon.79 by Susanna Bauer
- 2025
- From collection ‘Moon’
- Magnolia leaf and cotton thread
- Framed – 16.5” x 13” (42 x 33 cm)
The ‘Moon’ series was inspired by seeing the full moon through the branches of a tree - capturing a moment of connection to the universe within a leaf, which in itself embodies a representation of the whole tree.
LOT 6
John Green by Makenzy Beard
- 2023
- Print run of 1
- Framed – 26” x 33.9” (66 x 86cm)
- Unframed – 23.6” x 31.5” (60 x 80 cm)
"John Green was a fisherman I met when travelling the Greek islands. I really tried to create a sense of warmth through the sunlight, so the painting could become as warm as John’s presence was. Even though he’s just a stranger, his face has a weird familiarity to it. I just know there are so many stories hidden behind his moustache."
LOT 7
Departures by Finn Taylor
- 2024
- Digital C-type Print on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta Paper
- Framed – 38” x 30” (96.62 x 76.2 cm)
- Unframed – 30.5” x 22.5” (77.5 x 57.2 cm)
This body of photography captures a deeply personal journey intertwined with history, aviation, and conflict. Nick Taylor, a passionate pilot, flew Trident jets for Cyprus Airways before the 1974 Turkish invasion, which left Nicosia Airport abandoned and under UN control. His son, Finn, driven by childhood stories of these planes and his father’s legacy, spent a decade seeking permission to visit the wreckage of 5B-DAB, finally gaining access in 2024. These images are the first prints from that visit, marking the beginning of a broader exploration of the Nicosia Buffer Zone.
LOT 8
#avoidingrevision by Makenzy Beard
- 2025
- Oil on canvas
- Framed – 26” x 38” (66cm x 96.5cm)
- Unframed – 36.2” x 24” (92 x 61 cm)
"I started this painting during my mock exam week. I would not recommend anyone do the same because it resulted in me forcing myself to revise when all I wanted to do was paint. That said, I really enjoyed the process behind this piece. It has a looseness to it, similar to that in my early works, which has come from painting without thinking about it too much."
LOT 9
The Eye of History (Atlantic Perspective) Points of Continent by Marc Quinn
- 2012
- Pigment print on 300gsm Somerset photo paper
- Framed – 43.7” x 44.8” (111 x 114 cm)
- Unframed – 40.9” x 40.9” (104 x 104 cm)
Due to the popularity of the work, this edition is the third and final AP (artist's proof). The work is signed by the artist.
