When the Art Supermarket opened in Brown Thomas last October, Maureen Marlowe, managing director of Reuters Ireland, was greatly impressed by the preview night. So much so that she decided to hold the Reuters Christmas party there last Monday, and managed to make a bit of money for charity while she was at it.
Guests such as Norma Smurfit, who departed with two paintings under her arm, could be happy in the knowledge that BT and James West and Deborah Petley of the Art Supermarket had agreed to donate 15 per cent of any proceeds to Gaisce, the president's charity. Many of the gathering - including Telecom Eireann's Ron Bolger, RTE's Rodney Rice, novelist Elizabeth Palmer, artists Stephen Lawlor and Nicky Purcell, Ann Marie Nohl of the Espresso Bar and Tony O'Dalaigh and Fergus Linehan of the Dublin Theatre Festival - could be seen flicking through the racks of paintings in search of the next Damien Hirst or that elusive Christmas present. Although the combination of wine and shopping is usually lethal, the Reuters bash meant that many woke up with a charitable conscience, even if heads and bank balances weren't quite so healthy.