Art auctioneer Simon de Pury on modern philanthropy
Lenny Kravitz performs at the 2017 Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Gala, with DiCaprio (centre) and Madonna (right)
Whether painting, music or immersive experiences, artists ? and the art they produce ? play a huge role in raising hundreds of millions of dollars for some of the world?s most deserving charities, says art auctioneer and LUX contributing editor Simon de Pury
Simon de Pury
I?ve done the auction for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Gala for the past four years in St. Tropez. It has raised in excess of $100million for environmental issues. You know, we can try to save everything else, but if we don?t have a planet, there?s not much to save, so I find it very surprising that what should be probably our primary, main concern is just so low down the pecking order of people?s preoccupations. But Leo DiCaprio is probably the most important fundraiser for environmental issues in the world. It?s the longest auction of any auction that I do ? people arrive at nine o?clock and it goes on till past 2am. So it?s a real marathon, because not only are there top artworks (he?s a very active collector, so all the artists donate their best works), but also experiences. There are once-in-a-lifetime experiences like going to the gym with Madonna or playing tennis with Federer. Follow LUX on Instagram: the.official.lux.magazine
And the evening is interrupted by little musical intermezzos. So, last year Madonna gave a fantastic concert halfway through, and then the whole thing ended...
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