Christie's sale to help charity's coronavirus fund after Cannes postponement

[NEW YORK] Auction house Christie's will hold a sale to help raise money for amfAR's COVID-19 research fund after coronavirus forced the cancellation of the AIDS charity's famous Cannes Film Festival gala.

Leading collectors and artists have donated several contemporary artworks, some of which have never been seen before, Christie's and amfAR said in a statement Monday.

"The two organizations are joining forces to bridge the gap in fundraising and use it as an opportunity to address the new and urgent threat of COVID-19," they said.

A date for the auction has not yet been announced but it is set to coincide with Christie's New York spring sales, which are scheduled for the week of June 22.

The announcement comes after amfAR, the Foundation for Aids Research, said it was expanding its research efforts into the global push to find effective treatments for the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

All proceeds from the Christie's sale will go towards amfAR's newly established fund to fight COVID-19.

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AmfAR raised US$15 million at its annual Cannes gala last year, with celebrities Mariah Carey and Kendall Jenner in attendance.

But Cannes has been postponed this year due to the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

AmfAR was founded in New York in 1985 under the chairmanship of late acclaimed actress Elizabeth Taylor.

Over the years it has contributed more than US$550 million to AIDS research programs.

AFP