About $100,000 worth of artwork from modern masters such as Salvadore Dali, Andy Warhol, Rich Lichtenstein and Pablo Picasso were sold at the Coalition for the Protection of Children's annual `art for the heart' auction last weekend at La Coquille Restaurant.

More than half of the work available for sale was purchased, including ten paintings from Dali, nine Warhol pieces, eight from Picasso and two produced by Lichtenstein. The rest will be on display at the Burnaby Street Gallery and available for sale until the end of next week.

All of the canvasses went at discounted prices and some went for much less than they were worth. The artwork was initially selected in a preliminary selection last September in Philadelphia and at the beginning of this year Sheelagh Cooper, director of the Coalition, made the final selection of almost 50 pieces.

Art dealers' fees have to come out of the sales where bidding at the higher end of the scale opened at $15,000 for a couple of Lichtensteins, $12,000 for a Warhol and $10,000 for a Picasso.

More than 100 people attended the black tie affair, with many more visiting the preview on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week at the Bacardi Building where they had the option placing bids for their favourite pieces. Two pieces were also offered as part of a raffle.

A special menu was put on at the dinner on Saturday night, with each course being dedicated to an artist.

The profits from one of the paintings will go to a Russian orphanage, from where Serge Botelli adopted a child.

Auction volunteer and former senior curator at the National Gallery, Marlee Robinson said: "People who could not come to the Bacardi preview or to the dinner will have a chance to look at the artwork that was not sold. "They are wonderful pieces and well worth coming along to see. There are some Warhol's and Leichenstein's left".

Funds raised will go towards expansion of the Coalition's mediation services to include family mediation and mediation for couples, aspects which are growing quickly and need funding support.

"The financial stress that we face in this community at the moment has certainly had an impact on families and we are seeing more referrals which involve children who have been affected by family stress, and that shows itself in divorce and family violence," said Mrs. Cooper.