SONORA, Calif., March 18, 2022 — An original Kelly Telfer painting titled “Mario Andretti – a True Champion”, signed by Mario Andretti, raised $138,000 at auction for charity Spina Bifida of Jacksonville on Saturday, March 5, 2022 during the Amelia Concours d’Elegance in Florida.
RM Sotheby’s, the number one classic car auction house in the world and the official auction house of the exclusive event, handled the transaction during its 23rd annual sale held at the Ritz-Carlton.
The original 48″ H x 60″ W painting was inspired by photos of Andretti taken by photographer and motorsports legend Bill Warner. Having the auction take place at Amelia was particularly important since Warner was also the creator of the Island’s Concours d’Elegance. Of equal significance was the benefiting charity, Spina Bifida of Jacksonville, a 501-nonprofit chosen due to Warner’s own granddaughter’s struggles with the condition. Also, important to note, Demery Webber, Bill Warner’s daughter, is currently the executive director of the Spina Bifida of Jacksonville charity.
“This project was truly a team effort. I would like to give special thanks to Don Ghareeb for purchasing this piece. His generosity and support will go a very long way.”
“Also, I would like to thank William Warner for his incredible photos of Mario for me to paint from, for his ‘all in’ efforts and enthusiasm, and his far-reaching contributions on this project and in the motorsports industry,” he continued.
“I would also like to thank the chairman and CEO of Sotheby’s Rob Myers, Brad Phillips, and the entire RM Sotheby’s team. They did a masterful job auctioning the painting. And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the one and only Mario Andretti for his incredible racing career and for signing the original painting.”
After the sale of the piece, Telfer also showed appreciation in a social media post for Peter Sachs of the Custom Mat Co., Jacksonville, Fla., for introducing Bill Warner to Kelly years ago and contributing ideas that have brought the collaboration forward, Sean Fannin, who is producing a documentary on the story of the painting. As well as James Telfer, who hand delivered the painting, after Andretti signed it on his 82nd birthday, when shipping delays would have made it impossible otherwise. Additionally, the artist thanked John Ficarra and Keenan Sachs for their support and help on this and many other projects.
Original Kelly Telfer artwork, signed; and unsigned prints and posters are available to purchase online at telferdesign.com
ABOUT SPINA BIFIDA OF JACKSONVILLE
Spina Bifida Jacksonville is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1973 to provide support for families living with Spina Bifida. Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. An average of 8 babies are born every day with Spina Bifida or a similar birth defect of the brain and spine.
Spina Bifida Jacksonville strives to advocate for, educate and serve patients and families whose lives have been touched by this disorder.
ABOUT RM SOTHEBY’S
RM Sotheby’s is the world’s leading collector car auction house. With 40 years of proven results in the collector car industry, RM’s vertically integrated range of services, from auctions (live and online) and private sales to estate planning and financial services, coupled with an expert team of Car Specialists and an international footprint, provide an unsurpassed level of service to the global collector car market. RM Sotheby’s is currently responsible for the most valuable motor car ever sold at auction. Visit: rmsothebys.com
ABOUT KELLY TELFER & TELFER DESIGN
A third generation Californian, Kelly Telfer currently lives and works in Sonora, CA, in the Sierra foothills. With a lifelong love for cars, motorcycles, and racing, he has specialized in motorsports art for decades.
After creating the art for T-shirts for his own race team (“Telfer Bros. Racing,” founded by Kelly and his brother Jim), Kelly started and ran an apparel business in the 1980’s thru the late 1990’s. He created apparel for many of the top racetracks, race teams and manufacturers, including Laguna Seca Raceway, the Monterey Historics, the Indianapolis 500, F1, NASCAR, Chevrolet, Ford, SCCA Trans-Am, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Dale Earnhardt, Rick Mears, Bobby Rahal, Mario Andretti, Lyn St. James, Wayne Rainey, Steve and Michael Lewis, and many, many others. Telfer has many great memories and stories from those days!
Kelly Telfer is proud and humbled to be the Official Artist in 2022 for WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Rolex Reunion and the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship IMSA race, the Porsche Parade 2022, the 2022 Porsche Club of America Werks Reunion in Amelia Island, FL and Monterey, CA, the inaugural St Louis NASCAR 2022 Race, and the 2020 Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar Team. Telfer’s art is on permanent exhibit at The Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed, in Lincoln, Neb., and his art is available at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, Calif, and the LeMay America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Wash.
Telfer’s art has been exhibited in Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, Monterey Car week and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, Plymouth, MI Concours D’Elegance Of America, Beverly Hills, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and many other locations in the US. His art has also been featured in art galleries, magazines and is in corporate and private art collections around the world.
Telfer currently owns the original “Bahama Mama” 1968 Porsche 911 which he acquired from the Brumos Collection, Jacksonville, FL in 2019. Telfer has owned a 1956 Porsche Speedster featuring SC disc brakes and engine, a real drivers’ car. Telfer used to drive his Speedster to deliver last minute T-shirt orders to Laguna Seca in the 1980’s and ’90’s when he designed and created the Laguna Seca merchandise. He has also owned a beautiful and original blue 1971 911T, and “a bunch of other cool Porsches” and cars. He is always searching for his next 356 or early 911 Porsche.
Kelly Telfer is accepting commissions for original art paintings and limited edition Giclee prints, event posters and programs, as well as other creative opportunities For more information, original art, fine art prints and more: http://www.telferdesign.com
This article was shared with Prittle Prattle News as a Press Release by PRNewswire.
