Bidding on a fund-raising auction by Sotheby’s to help victims of the devastating port blast in Beirut in August will open next month.
The To Beirut With Love auction features items estimated at $326,000-$465,000, including one of Emma Stone’s Oscars gowns, as well as rock memorabilia from the likes of Mick Jagger, Madonna and former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell.
Sotheby’s is partnering with Creatives for Lebanon and Art for Beirut, two not-for-profit organisations created by the Lebanese diaspora in the wake of the tragic blast in Beirut.
Emma Stone at the 2015 Academy Awards in an Elie Saab gown
Online bidding will be open from December 7-15. Following the sale, in collaboration with IMPACT Lebanon and LIFE (Lebanese International Finance Executives), the proceeds will be shared among five charities, ensuring money reaches the areas that need it the most.
Star lots in the sale include an Elie Saab design worn by Stone on the Academy Awards red carpet in 2015. The chartreuse long-sleeve dress is estimated to fetch between $26,000-$40,000.
Other highlights include a jacket worn by Jagger on the Rolling Stones 2017 European tour, and the matador-inspired costume by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran that Madonna donned at the 2015 Brit Awards.
Halliwell’s outfit in the video for the Spice Girls’ debut single Wannabe is also going under the hammer, estimated between $5,300-$8,000. In an Instagram post, she said she bought the sequined dress second-hand from Notting Hill market in London.
Edward Gibbs, Sotheby’s chairman for the Middle East
Edward Gibbs, Sotheby’s chairman for the Middle East, told Arabian Business: “The explosion in the Port of Beirut this summer sent shockwaves through the city and the world, impacting every sector of society in Lebanon with countless tales of loss, damage and displacement. Lebanon is home to an artistic community whose contributions to the cultural landscape cannot be overstated. Sotheby’s has come together with our partners to host the auction ‘To Beirut with Love’ to provide much-needed relief and funds to aid the healing process.”
The auction also offers a rare opportunity to acquire a metallic gown with a huge train designed and worn by Egyptian actress Sherihan in the 80s. Valued at $24,000-$33,000, the gown took seven months to complete.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has donated one of her favourite portraits, shot by photographers Rocco Lapasta and Charles DeCaro ($3,000-$6,600), while photographer Fouad Elkoury has contributed a black-and-white photograph from his Suite Egyptienne series, inspired by the Oriental travels of French writer Gustave Flaubert.
The jewellery portion of the sale includes a woven yellow gold My Dior cuff, valued at $40,000-$66,500; a Bulgari Monete necklace, estimated at $4,000-$6,600, and a limited-edition pill bracelet with diamond skull designed by artist Damien Hirst, which is forecast to fetch between $10,600-$126,000.
Damien Hirst limited-edition pill bracelet with diamond skull
Mai Eldib, Sotheby’s Middle East director specialised in modern and contemporary Arab and Iranian art, told Arabian Business: “Everyone who has ever visited Beirut cannot help but be moved by the magic of the city. We have been so touched and grateful to see the generosity of those stepping forward to donate to the auction, and we hope that this will also resonate with potential bidders – who will not only have the opportunity to acquire one-of-a-kind, limited edition and archive pieces but also knowing that this will help those who most need it in Lebanon.
“Beirut since the Sixties and post-Civil War has always had this feel and this glamour of jet-set society where you come in and you come out, and this mix of East and West. So, I think all of that is what you see represented in our auction. You see it in the fashion pieces, and you see it also in the art pieces,” Eldib said.
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