New Focus For (RED) Brings In The Dollars

A fresh approach by ‘occasionally criticized’ charity organiztion (RED) has brought in $42.5 million in a single day. Damien Hurst sent 100 hand written letters to well known artists asking them to donate a piece of art inspired by the word ‘red’ to an auction held on Feb 14 at Sotheby’s in New York. Over 60 artists responded - artists like Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Chuck Close, Tracey Emin, Matthew Barney, Georg Baselitz, Rachel Whiteread, Anish Kapoor, Anselm Kiefer, Sir Peter Blake, Jeff Koons, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha and Banksy.

The event also set sale records for 17 artists, including Howard Hodgkin, Marc Quinn and Keith Tyson. Interviewed by ABC News, Bono said:

“The big word with this presidential campaign is change. All candidates talking about change, talking about this new America that’s gonna happen next year, but I’m telling you I am seeing that new America: people wearing the white bands, One campaigns, people who shop Red. That new America is already here in some courses, and the change that people are talking about actually, the president is going to see in Africa, it’s a changed continent because of that new America, that’s what I’m excited about.”

(RED)
ABC News: Bono and Hirst Paint the Town Red