The London-based not-for-profit contemporary art foundation Parasol Unit has raised over £2million at a recent 10th anniversary art auction at Sotheby’s, London.
The 31 works sold were donated by a range of artists including Chris Ofili, Antony Gormley, Michaël Borremans and Luc Tuymans. The total amount raised from the auction was £2,092,250, with 100% of the works being sold.
Parasol Unit’s founder and director Ziba Ardalan said: “I am absolutely delighted with this wonderful result which has surpassed our wildest dreams. I want to thank all the artists who donated works for their extraordinary generosity which has enabled us to look towards the future with optimism.”
Works sold included The Skirt (2005) by the Belgian painter and filmmaker Michaël Borremans, which sold for £926,500 breaking the previous record for the artist which stood at £396,600. Borremans’ first London show was at Parasol unit in 2005, the same year The Skirt was painted. Other sales included Charles Avery’s drawing, Feeding the Gulls, which sold for a more modest £11,250.
Parasol Unit also collaborated with Paddle8.com, which auctioned half of the donated works online, raising an additional £126,700. The money raised in both auctions will go towards Parasol Unit’s exhibition and education programme.
Founded in December 2004, Parasol Unit states that it operates ‘purely for the public benefit’ and has a ‘total commitment to artists and their creative endeavour’. Based at Wharf Road, London N1, it curates four exhibitions a year, showing the work of international contemporary artists who work in a variety of media. It also stages other artistic projects and gives an annual award for recent graduates.
