The Lovasik Estate Sale by jon rubin

洛瓦西克的房产销售

The Lovasik Estate Sale

父亲于2008年去世，我们最近开始请护工照料母亲。几个表兄想买我们的宅子，于是我和迈克决定把它卖给他们。不过，宅子里那么多的东西很难一下子都搬出去，也没法全卖掉。因此，我们把房产评估师和中介商特瑞请过来，看看她愿不愿意把这些东西都买去。后来，她说你们有意向把宅子里的东西统统买下。我们卖了这些东西，销售所得可以支付母亲每月的部分开销，另外把宅子卖给表兄，怎么也算“肥水不流外人田”吧。我们懒得把房子租出去，今后也不会搬回来住。清理里面的物品是最让人纠结的事。这就像翻阅一本承载了太多记忆的旧相册一样，所有的东西都是这些记忆的一部分，但话又说回来，“生不带来，死不带走”。对我们来说很有纪念意义的东西，对我们的孩子来说什么都不是。因此，我在努力做一些取舍，割舍那些有形的物品，同时努力把记忆留下。希望当我看到你们制作的物品目录时，能唤起尘封的记忆，再把那些故事讲给孩子们听。另外，事情来得有点太突然，就像一场葬礼——直到所有后事都料理完了，才是你感到悲伤的时候。那天，在你对已经清空的宅子拍完照后，我和迈克驱车回去了一趟，我哭了一路。我想迈克最后也挺动情，因为有很多老照片都了被卖掉，这也许是最让人伤感的事情。虽然这宅子更多地留下了我们对祖父和父亲的记忆，但我们这样做是为了母亲。她含辛茹苦把我们抚养成人，现在我们要保证有人照顾她，让她安享晚年。因此，这些有形的东西并不那么难以割舍，但是我们会永远保存那份记忆。我们再次感谢你提供这样好的机会。请随时告知上海双年展的进展情况。(米歇尔·洛瓦西克)

....... 洛瓦希克房产销售”将拍卖该家族老宅子的所有物品，总共超过3000件。这些物品将被运往上海参加第九届上海双年展，放在匹兹堡馆中展出拍卖，一件不留。四

Daddy died in 2008 and we recently put mom in assisted care. Mike and I decided to have the estate sale when our cousins expressed interest in buying the property. We knew we would never be able to move or sell things quick enough, so I had Terri (estate appraiser and seller) come in to see if we had enough stuff to make it worth while for her and for us. And that’s when she approached us about your offer to buy everything. The decision to sell the items was based on knowing it would help to pay a small portion of our mom’s monthly expenses and selling the house to our cousins would “keep it in the family.” We didn’t want to become landlords, and we knew neither of us would move back to the house. Going through things was the hardest part. It was like going through a photo album of memories and all these objects were part of them, but in the end “you can’t take it with you,” and the things that were important to us aren’t really meaningful to our kids. So, I am trying to practice letting go of these material things but still keep the memories. Hopefully, with your catalog, I can go through and jot down memories of things for my kids. Also, this happened kind of quick, sort of like a funeral—it doesn’t really hit you until everything is all over. When Mike and I left after you came to take pictures of the empty house that day I cried driving home. I think it finally hit Mike then too, especially since we sent a lot of pictures and that may have been the hardest thing to do. Even though this has been more about my grandfather and dad, it really is for my mom. She always took care of us, and so now we want to make sure she is taken care of. So it’s a little easier to let go of the material things, but the memories we will keep forever. Again, thanks for this opportunity. Please keep us informed about the progress in Shanghai. —Michelle Lovasik .......

The Lovasik Estate Sale contains everything that was left in the home. More than 3,000 possessions were shipped to China for the Pittsburgh Pavilion of the 9th Shanghai Biennial where they will be on display and for sale until the last object is sold. 5

办公室

六

OFFICE

purple evening gown with empire waist on hanger; $5 .......

高腰紫色晚礼服，衣架悬挂；¥32.5

办公室

八

photographic portrait of (Grandfather) Stephen Lovasik in wooden frame; $5 .......

祖父斯蒂芬·洛瓦西克的肖像照，木框装帧；¥32.5

OFFICE

wood seven-drawer and glass top desk with assorted business cards, photographs and obituary clipping (Raymond Lovasik); $50 .......

玻璃台面木制七斗柜，内有各种各样的名片、照片和报纸上剪下的讣告（雷蒙德·洛瓦西克）；¥325

办公室

十

Raymond Lovasik’s dark green military coat with red and black patch; $15 .......

雷蒙德·洛瓦西克的青绿色军大衣，红黑相间的臂章；¥97.5

OFFICE

family photographs in black photo album with Japanese pagoda design in cardboard box; $10 .......

全家福照片，黑色相册，饰有日本宝塔；¥65

办公室

十二

red album with gold detailing: “Family Pictures Part 2 “Part 2 1940–1976”; $10 .......

金边红色相册： “全家福第2部分，1940-1976年” ；¥65

OFFICE

金边红色相册：“第1部分：早期全家福；1911年前的父亲； 1911年2月22日父母结婚照；1913 -1953年孩子们的照片” ；¥65

办公室

十四