A
celebrity-studded Valentine's Day charity auction of
contemporary artworks -- all inspired by the color red
and the concept of love -- raised more than $42.5
million to benefit HIV/AIDS relief programs in Africa,
Sotheby's auction house said.
A
celebrity-studded Valentine's Day charity auction of
contemporary artworks -- all inspired by the color red
and the concept of love -- raised more than $42.5
million to benefit HIV/AIDS relief programs in Africa,
Sotheby's auction house said.
Organized by
Sotheby's, U2 lead singer Bono, artist Damien Hirst, and
Manhattan's Gagosian Gallery, the sale on Thursday blasted
past the maximum of $29 million it was expected to
bring in, Sotheby's said.
The event also
set sale records for 17 artists, including Howard Hodgkin,
Marc Quinn, and Keith Tyson, the auction house said.
''Tonight we got
serious about love, and not just the love of art, but
the love of our brothers and sisters suffering from AIDS in
the poorest places on the planet,'' Bono said in a
Sotheby's release.
The auction
included pieces donated by dozens of artists, among them
Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, and Ed Ruscha. Hirst gave seven of
his works, including Where There's a Will, There's
a Way -- a pill cabinet filled with
medications used to treat HIV. It sold for $7.15
million, Sotheby's said.
The event drew a
high-wattage crowd that included domestic diva Martha
Stewart, hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons, actor Dennis
Hopper, and tennis star John McEnroe, Sotheby's said.
Model Christy
Turlington bought Francesco Clemente's Red Flower on
Scorched Earth for $170,500, according to the
auction house.
The prices
included a 10% buyer's premium. Proceeds will go the United
Nations Foundation and will support programs run by the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria,
Sotheby's said. (AP)
Follow us on Twitter. 
Follow us on Facebook.
Page 1 of 1