Going once, going twice, sold

When Beau Kavanagh tells me to pick my chair, I freeze.

We’re sitting in the front of Kavanagh Auctions’ NDG warehouse, surrounded by objects tagged for an upcoming sale. There’s a bronze Roman statue on a marble base looming somewhere above my head. A chair I’m eyeing looks comfortable enough, sculptural even. But Beau gives me a look, the kind that says you’re about to make a mistake you’ll regret forever.

I switch chairs.

It’s immediately more comfortable. I feel both relieved and slightly exposed. This, I realize, is what bidding at an auction feels like too.