London Charity Auction raises over GBP 2 million (almost RMB 20 million) for cancer charity founded by collector Myriam Ullens, Works by Liu Xiaodong, Xu Zhen (MadeIn Company) and Thomas Houseago double estimates.

October 18, 2013 – Sotheby’s announced that GBP 2,098,925 was raised at auction this week for the Mimi Foundation, a cancer charity founded by collector Myriam Ullens, who with her husband, Belgian industrialist Guy Ullens, also founded in 2007 the Ullens Contemporary Art Center in Beijing. Each year the foundation supports over 15,000 patients across Europe undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

GBP 1,291,400 was raised at a charity dinner on October 16 for just 8 lots. A further dedicated auction on October 18 during the Sotheby’s Contemporary Day Sale brought over GBP 800,000, for works donated by Antony Gormley, Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch, Entang Wiharso, Thomas Houseago, and Ramin Haerizadeh.
Unsurprisingly given the Ullens connection, the Day Sale included works by prominent artists from China, such as Liu Xiaodong, Qiu Zhijie, Liu Wei, Xu Zhen (MadeIn Company), Zheng Guogu, and Rong Rong. Many works were created especially for
the auction or donated from key historic series.

Xu Chen (MadeIn Company)’s large-scale mixed media work “Night
Walk Palace” more than doubled its estimate, achieving GBP 43,750 after a
heated battle between two bidders. A 2m high miniature city constructed
from books, wood and board by Liu Wei, Library IV, created especially for
the auction, achieved £64,900.

Andreas Gursky, “Brasilia, Plenarsaal II”, the only work in the auction donated by Mr and Mrs Ullens from their private collection, achieved GBP 158,500.

Top Ten Results from both sales:

1.Yan Pei Ming, Portrait of HRH The Prince of Wales, price achieved
£302,500

2.Sterling Ruby, BC (4442), price achieved £225,400

3.Marc Quinn, Pupil Portrait,  price achieved £194,500

4.Zhan Wang, Artificial Rock # 146, price achieved £164,500

5.Antony Gormley, Small Gut II, price achieved £158,500

6.Andreas Gursky, Brasilia, Plenarsaal II, price achieved £158,500

7.Michelangelo Pistoletto, Vortice-Dittico, price achieved £158,500

8.Tracey Emin, The Kiss Was Beautiful, price achieved £122,500

9.Liu Xiaodong, Lili, price achieved £110,000

10.Farhad Moshiri, Tenderness, price achieved £98,500