ART LOVERS, listen up: Works by D.C. favorites such as Tim Tate, Colby Caldwell and Amy Lin can be bought at the Corcoran Gallery of Art for just one crisp Benjamin. No joke.

It's all part of Art Anonymous, a mysterious guessing game in which eagle-eyed art collectors sifting through unsigned work can score a bargain — if they know what they're looking for.

But even the pros might get confused. For example, Mark Cameron Boyd, a Corcoran instructor and conceptual artist best known for his scrawled illegible chalkboard installations, donated a "mystery work" that will involve post-purchase correspondence with the lucky buyer.

"The thing about Art Anonymous is most artists probably just donate a smaller version of their usual work," Boyd said. But he said he decided to donate a piece vastly different from his typical work.

Boyd isn't the only artist taking the "anonymous" directive to heart: Local painter Anne Marchand posted the titles of her two donated works on her blog — then deleted the posting. And all artists — painters, sculptors, costumed performance artists — are restricted to two-dimensional art measuring 5 inches by 7 inches.

Since Tim Tate's iconic glass sculptures or the mutant animal trophies from Joshua Levine's "Trophy Room" series won't mat very easily, they'll have to come up with an artistic work-around. "It'll be interesting to see how they interpret the guidelines," said organizer Zoe Heineman Myers.

The sale is being hosted by the Corcoran and the Friends of the Corcoran, who promise drinks, dancing and mingling with some of the nearly 200 participating artists. Of course, there's also the thrill of getting a deal on some fantastic art.

But there's a catch — or, more properly, a few catches:

» To get in the door, you'll need to pony up $65. This money (and the cash from art sales) will go to the Corcoran College's BFA Scholarship Fund.

» Artwork will be sold according to a strict first-come, first-serve basis — so if you really want something, you'll have to get in line, Heineman Myers said. Or you can buy a raffle ticket ($50) to compete for the privilege of being one of the first 10 pickers.

» There are no visible signatures on any of the artwork. Cough up the money, and you can flip the work over to read the artist's name on the back. While some art here comes from big names, much has been donated from Corcoran students (not that that's a bad thing — it's the Corcoran, after all).

But, heck, it's a party with some of D.C.'s best artists, and even if you end up with a piece by Johnny Undergrad and not the Tim Conlon you were coveting, who knows? The kid's work might be worth a bundle some day.

It's all part of the mystery.

» Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St NW (use New York Avenue entrance), Sat., May 10 (RSVP by the evening of May 1 to (202) 639-1753) 6 p.m., $65 ($50 for members), (202) 639-1753. (Farragut West)

Written by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman

Posted by Express at 4:15 PM on May 1, 2008
Tagged in Entertainment , Museums & Galleries , The District , Top Stories