|
Football great David Beckham, Bollywood's Preity Zinta and Kokila Ambani, matriarch of India's richest industrial family, have all confirmed their presence – and their paintings &ndash
; for the Art With a Smile: India on Canvas charity auction, taking place on November 28 at the Madinat Jumeirah.
These creative works will go under the hammer at Christie's to raise money for two charities: India-based Khushii and Dubai's Al Noor Centre for Children with Special Needs. The unique initiative, launched in 2003, has seen many famous names pair up with renowned artists to jointly create a customised piece of art that can be auctioned to benefit underprivileged children.
With this auction, Khushii has now launched its UAE chapter, thrusting a paintbrush in the hands of local personalities such as the UAE Minister of Economy and Planning Sheikha Lubna Al Qassimi, Dubai Shopping Festival CEO Laila Suhail and Chairman of ITL Cosmos Group Dr Ram Buxani, among others. Up to 60 pieces of art, along with a specially hand-painted Audi A4 (courtesy artists Paresh Maity and Patricia Millins) and a Nissan Murano, will be auctioned at the event.
The event is being held under the patronage of Her Highness Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. "We've raised $7.5 million (Dh27.5m) through our previous auctions in Delhi and Mumbai, and we are hoping to raise a similar amount in Dubai," said cricketing legend Kapil Dev, who is also chairman of Khushii. "This city has heart and it has a brain; now we see its pockets." Sunanda Lal, President of Khushii's Dubai chapter, said that all the local personalities participating in this cause were specially approached for their contribution to the society. "It was expecting a lot from such distinguished public figures to take time out of their schedules and host an artist in their home for three to four days until the painting was completed. But the response was overwhelming, even though a few people dropped out," Lal said.
Each personality was presented with a list of Emirati, Indian and Pakistani artists. Lal says that several patrons suggested their own artists to collaborate with, and their requests were considered. Auction sales of each painting will be divided three ways – 25 per cent of the proceeds will be given to the artist and the remaining will be jointly divided between Khushii and Al Noor.
Entry to the grand finale is by invitation only, but the art works go on display at a special exhibition at the Dubai International Financial Centre a week prior to the auction. Some collaborations to watch out for include Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE's Minister of Higher Education and painter MF Hussein; Sheikha Lubna and Mohammed Qassab; David Beckham and Sacha Jafri; Preity Zinta and Gurcharan Singh; Ratan Tata and Laxman Shreshtha.
Newer news items:
Older news items:
|
