Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, and Russell Young are among the artists who have donated artworks to a charity auction at Roseberys London for the Elephant Haven, which is looking to establish Europe’s first elephant sanctuary.
The auction, organized by photographer Kate Garner, hopes to raise £350,000 ($530,000) for the cause, where all proceeds will go directly to the charity.
Kate Garner, Kate Moss, Praed St (1991).
Photo: courtesy Roseberys London.
Garner is personally offering four of her own photos, including two prints from her 1991 series, “Kate Moss, Praed St (1991),” which depict the model topless, in stockings and towering heels, clutching a teddy bear. Prints of the Moss photos have previously fetched as much as $9,720, according to the artnet Price Database, and this edition carries a pre-sale estimate of £2,500–3,000 ($3,800–4,600).
Smith’s aptly named photo, I Saw Elephants, is a comparative bargain at £300–400 ($460–610), while Yoko Ono’s laconic work, titled, Ask the Clouds to Remember, should fetch £1,500–2,000 ($2,300–3,000) (see After Bjork Fiasco, MoMA’s Yoko Ono Show Makes a Case for Art and Celebrity).
Russell Young, Marilyn Hope Liquid Gold and Black (2013).
Photo: courtesy Roseberys London.
Other works for sale include Marilyn Hope Liquid Gold and Black (2013), a screen print of Marilyn Monroe (see New Intimate Photographs of Marilyn Monroe Make Art Market Debut) created using liquid gold and diamond dust by Young (see In the Studio with Russell Young), expected to fetch £4,000–6,000 ($6,000–9,000).
The auction might have done well to enlist an elephant or two to create artwork supporting their own cause: the giant mammals have been known to create canvases of their own, wielding paintbrushes in their nimble trunks or making works of art with colorful footprints (see Indian Elephant Who Paints Gets Gallery Show).
Blaise Jowett, Elephant.
Photo: courtesy Roseberys London.
“I’m interested to see how human consciousness will evolve when freedom and respect for other animals is achieved,” Julian Lennon said in a statement on Elephant Haven’s homepage. His stepmother, Yoko Ono, was more to the point: “We love you, Elephants! Please stay well for the longest time.”
The Elephant Haven Charity Auction will take place at Roseberys London on June 6, 2015.