The late Lexington artist John Tuska.
More than 100 of the late Lexington art legend John Tuska's works are now available for public purchase, in an online auction that went live on Friday, March 24.
Hosted by online auction house Everything But The House in conjunction with Seth Tuska – Tuska's son and the director the Tuska Legacy – will feature some of the most accomplished works by the former UK professor and artist, who passed away in 1998, including 117 originals and one studio production piece (the Dance Illuminate Screen). From ceramics and bronze statues to drawings, paper castings and wooden screens, the intent was to include a little bit of everything in order to emanate the artist’s originality and depth.
Humbled by the support and response from people around town and elsewhere, Seth Tuska, an engineer by trade, has dedicated much of his life’s work to ensuring that his father’s work lives on. The online auction is another pathway for that remembrance, as well as a way to begin reducing the vast inventory of the Tuska Legacy.
“This will be what I do for the rest of my days, and it will be handed down to my sons when that time comes,” said Seth Tuska, who sees the online auction as an outlet to continue the expansion of the Tuska brand and touch the lives of art enthusiasts everywhere. The 118 selected pieces from the collection to be featured are all substantially representative of the artist's classic and authentic approach to creating. Coming from the many different mediums, the collection includes subject matters beyond his signature figurative work.
“There is a draw to his work that people automatically respond to,” said Seth of his father's art. “His life was a personal fairytale and an old romance, and people connect and resonate with every bit.”
Seth has been on a 20-year journey to keep his dad’s profound artwork as an emotionally healing continuum for those seeking art therapy. Constantly seeking ways to foster humanity through education, he emphasizes that his mission lies with celebrating his father’s art rather than framing Tuska in the art world for recognition. Before his passing, Tuska asked his son to share his life as an educator. Building a legacy around the concept of art as therapy is at the heart of the brand’s mission.
In the continued development of the commercial brand of Tuska and the production work of Tuska studio, Seth has sought out industries where he thought the work would fit, making the connection in recent years to the spa industry, which he sees as a natural fit for his father’s work, much of which centers on the human form.
“From healthcare to self-help and indulgence... the spa industry was a natural fit,” Seth explained. “I want to change the culture of the spa industry by viewing it as inspiration to follow your dreams.”
Another project to advance the Tuska brand includes a recently published illustrative book, “Mythos,” a pop-up, interactive exhibit experience conceived to provide individuals with the artist’s concept of art as self-reflection, available upon request from Seth.
There are exciting talks of other avenues for the Tuska brand, including travel studios of personal muses and incorporating other artists alongside Tuska down the road. One thing is certain: Seth has big plans for the brand’s future in keeping his father’s promise of continuing educating others on bringing the soul forward.
“My father was a philosopher as much as he was an artist,” Seth said. “If there is a future for Tuska as a place among American artists of the 21st century, then that’s great. We’re just keepers of his work at this time.”
The online auction will be live from Friday, March 24 and will close on Thursday, March 30, with bidding starting at $1. Visit EBTH.com to view the auction or bid on any of the items.