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 Home to a close-knit, multi-ethnic community,
the 24-storey social housing block was reduced to a charred ruin
by the inferno that engulfed it in the middle of the night.
Many survivors have yet to be rehoused and are still living in
hotels.
The charity auction, held at autioneer Sotheby's late on Monday,
included works by A-list artists including Wolfgang Tillmans,
Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, Mark Wallinger and
Rachel Whiteread.
The idea came from film producer and art collector Hamish
McAlpine and art consultant Katie Heller, who said the emotional
impact of the Grenfell tragedy was such that almost all the
artists they approached agreed to donate works immediately.
"Grenfell touched their souls," McAlpine told Reuters at
Sotheby's before the auction. "It's a very emotive subject for
people in London."
The proceeds, which totaled more than 1.925 million pounds
($2.55 million), will be divided equally among 158 surviving
families. They will receive the funds before Christmas.
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Every single one of the lots on offer sold, making the auction a
"White Glove" sale in auctioneers' parlance, Sotheby's said. The
amount raised was double the pre-auction estimate.
The most expensive lot was "Freischwimmer 193", a very large green
print by the London-based German artist Wolfgang Tillmans, which
sold for 392,750 pounds.
Next came "Small Charge", a cast iron sculpture by Antony Gormley,
which was snapped up for 344,750 pounds.
Two of the artworks were especially created for the auction. Tacita
Dean's "Lay the Dust With Tears", a gray and black charcoal-on-paper
image reminiscent of billowing smoke, sold for 22,500 pounds, while
Idris Khan's "I Remember", also a somber image in dark tones made
with oil, charcoal and chalk on paper, went for 43,750 pounds.
(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Michael Holden)
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