‘100 Million Meals’ Live charity art auction, held in Dubai, yesterday raised AED36,673,000 to provide food parcels for disadvantaged individuals and families across 30 countries.
The charity auction recorded a sell-out of all valuable items, raising AED36,673,000, which will help provide 36,673,000 meals to beneficiaries in 30 countries throughout the holy month of Ramadan.
The exclusive auction, organized by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) in collaboration with Maupy Auction, had on display a piece of Kaaba cover from the personal collection of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and rare works, made available for one night only, by many of the art world’s greatest contemporary masters including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, Henry Moore, and David Hockney.
Two rare drawings by late South African President Nelson Mandela were also up for bidding.
The charity art auction was an innovative addition to the existing donation channels that MBRGI had established for the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign and expanded the donor pool to include art collectors and enthusiasts.
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The auction took place at the Mandarin Oriental Jumeira in Dubai, and was attended by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Florian Picasso, the great grandson of the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso; Sacha Jafri, Guinness World Records Holder and British Artist; Sima Ved, Founder & Chairwoman of Apparel Group; Vikram Shroff, Director UPL Group; Mona Kattan, Co-Founder of Huda Beauty & Kayali Fragrances; German Tennis Player Boris Becker; and Marjorie Harvey, wife of American TV host Steve Harvey, in addition to several philanthropists, artists, high-profile personalities, and businessmen to support ‘100 Million Meals’ aid efforts.
The auction was hosted by Jonny Gould, former presenter of the sunrise program on Sky News and sports news anchor on Radio Smooth and BBC Radio 2. Gold is famous for his comedic approach in emceeing events, especially charity auctions, and gathering large sums in donation, Radio and TV Presenter Tom Urquhart was a guest speaker for the night.
The auction hosted the British-Indian artist Sacha Jafri, painter of ‘The Journey of Humanity’ that holds the Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas.
The auction included a unique collaborative work, which was painted live during the auction 2020 World Artist of the Year winner Sacha Jafri. Commissioned by the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign, the joint artwork served as an additional layer on top of one of Jafri’s iconic Canvas-Panels that was created in the lead-up to his record breaking ‘The Journey of Humanity’. The painting, dubbed ‘The Road to the Journey of Humanity’ uniquely features the signature of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the handprint and signature of Florian Picasso, the great grandson of the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.
Jafri’s piece that features handprints and signatures of the many celebrities supporting the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Eva Longoria, Steve Harvey, Maria Bravo, and Roger Federer, Boris Becker, Amir Khan and Marjorie Harvey was also auctioned during the event.
The ‘Swallow’ black and white by the late South African President Nelson Mandela, which came directly from his family, along with ‘The original ‘Swallow’ line drawing, were both auctioned during the event.
French artist Henri Matisse’s one-of-a-kind ‘Fleurs dans un vase’ drawing was also auctioned during the event.
Among the items on bid were Pablo Picasso’s gold medallions, commissioned to the prominent goldsmith Francois Hugo to create a series of patters, dishes and medallions in gold and silver made after the original designs were sketched by Picasso himself.
The seven medallions up for bidding at the auction are: ‘Faune Cavalier’, a 5-cms 23-carat gold medallion, ‘Visage de Faune’, another 5-cms 23-carat gold medallion, ‘Profile de Jacqueline’, a 5.5-cms 23-carat gold medallion, ‘Horloge a la Ligne’, another 5.5-cms 23-carat gold medallion, ‘Jacqueline Au Chevalet’, a 5-cms 23-carat gold medallion, ‘Tete Au Masque’, a 5-cms 23-carat gold medallion, and ‘Vaullaris’, a 5-cms 23-carat gold medallion.
The original pencil on irregular verge gris paper, ‘Etude de visages: Madonna, enfant et profile d’homme’ (Study of faces: Madonna, Child and Profile of a Man).
Two of Hockney’s pieces were auctioned. ‘In Front of House Looking West’, signed and stamped by the artist in pencil, while his second piece ‘Matelot Kevin Druez 2’, which depicts a sailor smoking a cigarette while gazing provocatively into the observer.
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Two pieces for Spanish painter Joan Miró collectively generated AED 771,000. The first – ‘Untitled’ – was handed over for AED 220,000 to Umar Kamani, co-founder of Pretty Little Thing, while the second artwork – ‘Personages, Oiseau’ –painted on plywood.
The last item on the bidding list was Henry Moore’s bronze sculpture with a dark brown and green patina, titled ‘Mother Holding Child’.
The auction raised additional funds for the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign, which had achieved its target on Thursday by raising a whopping AED100 million in just 10 days from its launch, thanks to the generous donations of 185,000 companies and individuals inside and outside the UAE.
The ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign remains open for donation through four simple channels. First, on the campaign’s website www.100millionmeals.ae; second, via making a transfer to the designated bank account through Dubai Islamic Bank (AE08 0240 0015 2097 7815 201); third, by sending “Meal” by SMS on the specified UAE numbers (Du or Etisalat) listed on the website; fourth, by contacting the campaign call center on the toll-free number 8004999.
Food parcels’ distribution have already begun to empower targeted groups across the world to prepare their own meals during the holy month of Ramadan. To ensure swift and integrated distribution, the MBRGI is working with several international and local partners in each beneficiary country to deliver the parcels, including the UN World Food Programme. The UAE, through its humanitarian initiatives, is committed to offering relief and support to those in need, especially after the outbreak of COVID-19 exacerbated hunger and malnutrition among poor populations.
