Bassey, who rose to fame in Cardiff’s Tiger Bay, is well-known for her rendition of the iconic title song for the 1971 James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever, which featured Sir Sean Connery. She has previously stated that she accepted the opportunity to perform the track because the lyrics “rang true” to her.

The auction, part of Sotheby’s Fine Jewels biannual sale held on October 10, dedicated its proceeds to charities chosen by Dame Shirley. Among the standout pieces was her vintage 1960s Van Cleef and Arpels diamond ring, a gift from Sir Elton John, which fetched 48,000 euros (£39,995) — more than three times its estimated value of 10,000 to 15,000 euros.

Another highlight was a Van Cleef and Arpels emerald and diamond necklace, acquired to celebrate her first Royal Variety Performance in front of Queen Elizabeth II, which sold for 174,000 euros (£144,985), exceeding its estimate of 50,000 to 70,000 euros.

Additionally, a vintage diamond brooch from around 1905 was sold for 162,000 euros (£134,991), nearly five times its projected estimate of 26,000 to 35,000 euros. Ahead of the auction, Bassey expressed her lifelong passion for jewellery, recalling her initial love for natural pearls: “I fell in love with jewellery when I first discovered natural pearls as an up-and-coming singer and I bought myself my first string of pearls – the first piece of jewellery I’d ever bought.”

She continued, “However, I quickly graduated to my lifelong passion for diamonds which preceded the recording of Diamonds Are Forever. In fact, I accepted to sing the song because it rang true to me and the way I felt about diamonds then and now. Collecting jewellery for me is like collecting memories and this collection is full of them.”

Dame Shirley Bassey remains a unique figure in music history, being the only artist to have recorded multiple 007 themes and the first Welsh singer to achieve a UK number one single in 1959 with As I Love You. Over her illustrious career, she has secured 12 top 10 singles and eight top 10 albums in the UK.

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Promod, an Indian expatriate who passed away two years ago, and a group of friends, initially came together in Satwa. These individuals, despite their commercial careers, shared a profound passion for art, which they had to set aside due to practical demands.

Vineeth, the guild’s secretary, explained: “The group has now expanded to include around 25 artists, each with a significant connection to art. Whether they are celebrated artists or enthusiastic amateurs, they unite through this Guild to pursue their artistic passions.”

Under the guidance of distinguished artists like K.K.N. Nambiar, Vineeth has participated in numerous group exhibitions, specializing in oil on canvas and continually evolving his personal style.

“Many of us had to shelve our artistic inclinations in favor of commercial careers. To reconnect with our creativity, we organized regular meetups on Fridays or other free days to paint and promote art,” Vineeth added.

Since its inception, the Guild has been active in hosting painting exhibitions, workshops, and discussions across Dubai and Sharjah. These events offer artists a platform to display and sell their work.

Key figures in the Guild include Kumar Chadayamangalam (current president), Uday Russelpuram, Ramesh Vellinezhi, Shafi Beypore, Narayan Kadavath, art director Nisar Ibrahim, and Sadasivan Ambalamedu. These members balance their professional lives with their artistic pursuits, ensuring they dedicate time to their passion.

The Guild conducts workshops in community parks to bridge the gap between artists and the public. “Our workshops aim to clarify fundamental questions about art, such as the nature of abstract art, making it more accessible to everyone,” Vineeth explained.

Their latest initiative involved a workshop with underprivileged children, where they created a unique art installation and shared inspiring stories of artists.

The Guild also supports its members and the community in challenging times. Following the Kerala floods, they organized a fundraiser, creating and selling art to contribute to relief efforts.

The Guild’s members hold a shared belief that art transcends barriers, offering a universal connection and understanding that few other things can.

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Yeow’s paintings capture the enchantment of yesteryears when children’s days were marked by playful escapades – swimming in the river, climbing fruit-laden trees, and pedalling bicycles through lush landscapes. Alongside Yeow’s pieces, artist Ong Soon Keat will also showcase 10 original oil paintings, enriching the narrative of simple joys and innocent exploration.

All proceeds from the sale of ‘Let Our Children Dream’ and the original artworks will be devoted to charitable causes, specifically the Society of the Several Mentally Handicapped (SSMH) and the Free Food Society. Yeow Teck Chai, now 72 years old, finds it imperative to support these organizations as a means of nurturing the dreams of underprivileged children. Reflecting on his own modest upbringing, Yeow shared, “Coming from a family of 10, I wondered: Would I be able to leave my small kampung in Kuantan? Will I be able to become the artist or architect that I’ve always dreamed of becoming?”

Although his professional career initially led him away from his artistic aspirations, Yeow’s creative talents found expression in his work at Mida, where he ingeniously crafted marketing campaigns to attract foreign investments. Upon his retirement in 2006, Yeow decided to channel his artistic prowess into charitable endeavours. His previous project, ‘Birds of Malaysia,’ raised significant funds for charitable causes and established him as a renowned artist.

‘Let Our Children Dream’ is a visual journey into the world of carefree childhoods, where the paintings depict the joy and mischief of children within the backdrop of the rustic kampung surroundings. The book’s editor and Yeow’s daughter, Charlotte Yeow, provided context to the artworks, underscoring the essence of childhood dreams – from the whimsical to the deeply profound.

The art book’s final chapter captures poignant scenes, focusing on children from less privileged backgrounds, thereby urging readers to contemplate the challenges faced by these youngsters and encouraging support for the associated charities. Yeow Teck Chai’s former colleagues at Mida initiated these organizations – SSMH and Free Food Society – both aimed at aiding underprivileged children and addressing societal inequalities.

In Yeow’s words, “I feel that children’s dreams and their education are the basis of the future of any country,” underscoring the transformative power of nurturing dreams in a multiracial and multi-ethnic environment. ‘Let Our Children Dream’ invites all to revisit the cherished past and foster a brighter future. The exhibition will run from September 6 to 10 at BSC, complete with guided tours led by Charlotte Yeow, providing a platform for children to immerse themselves in the enchanting world of art and nostalgia.

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The collection of consigned works holds tremendous artistic and historical value. It includes two captivating paintings, “Holding Court” (1986) and “Mentors” (2008), alongside two mesmerizing drawings, “Saxophone Study #1” (1993) and “Study for Brother to Brother” (1994). These artworks offer a rare glimpse into Ernie Barnes’ imaginative and vibrant world, envisioning harmony among diverse communities, backgrounds, and races.

Serena Williams, a passionate art collector, expressed her admiration for Ernie Barnes as an iconic Black artist whose vision transcends barriers. She hopes that the auction of these never-before-seen works will provide vital resources and support to those affected by violence in Compton and underserved communities across the nation.

Venus Williams, known for her active involvement in various charitable initiatives, previously collaborated with artist Adam Pendleton to raise funds for preserving the childhood home of legendary singer Nina Simone in North Carolina. The auction, hosted by Sotheby’s at Pace Gallery, featured art contributions from renowned artists like Stanley Whitney, Martin Puryear, Cecily Brown, Rashid Johnson, Ellen Gallagher, and Julie Mehretu. The proceeds from that event contributed to the designation of the home as a National Treasure.

Ernie Barnes, whose tantalizing canvases depict Black individuals experiencing moments of joy and leisure, has witnessed a resurgence of interest in his work in recent years. Exhibitions of his remarkable art were held at prominent venues, such as the California African American Museum in Los Angeles and the UTA Artist Space in Beverly Hills, further cementing his legacy as a culturally significant artist of the 20th century.

In 2022, Barnes made headlines when his iconic painting “Sugar Shack,” featured on a Marvin Gaye album cover and in the TV show “Good Times,” sold for an astounding $15.3 million at Christie’s. This record-breaking sale solidified his position as an influential and sought-after artist.

Joopiter’s head of global sales, Caitlin Donovan, praised Ernie Barnes for his dedication to social justice, racial equity, portrayal of women, and community. These values closely align with the mission of the Yetunde Price Resource Center, making the auction of Barnes’ works a powerful endeavor in supporting meaningful causes.

The upcoming auction promises to be a significant event in the art world, where the contributions of these iconic tennis legends will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on communities in need. Art enthusiasts and philanthropists alike eagerly await the chance to bid on these extraordinary artworks, knowing that their contributions will be channeled towards creating positive change and leaving a lasting legacy for Ernie Barnes’ art and the causes he held dear.

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Eid Al Adha is a time of boundless joy, reflection, and spiritual renewal for Muslims. It is a time for Muslims to remember the importance of sacrifice, obedience, and faith in God. The day is marked by congregational prayers, special meals, and the exchange of gifts and greetings among friends and family members. The festival reflects the diverse cultural and traditional practices of the Muslim world. Traditions vary from country to country, but the underlying theme of kindness and generosity is shared by all.

Muslims are encouraged to give to charity, help the needy, and share their blessings with those less fortunate. It is an occasion that reinforces the values of family and community. It is a time for families and friends to come together and celebrate the blessings of God. It is a reminder that no matter how different we may appear on the surface, we are all part of the same human family, united in our common values and beliefs.

The day of Eid Al Adha is also a reminder of the importance of moderation and balance in our lives. Muslims are encouraged to celebrate the occasion with joy and gratitude, but to do so responsibly and mindfully, without indulging in excess or extravagance. It is a time to appreciate the blessings of God and to show gratitude for all that we have. As much as Eid Al Adha is a time to reflect on the past, it is also a reminder of the present and the promise of the future. It is a time to reflect on our own lives and renew our commitment to our faith, our families, and our communities. It is a time to strive for excellence and to work towards making the world a better place for all.

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The project, which aimed to involve the wider public in the coronation celebrations, had an overwhelmingly positive response from people across the country. The submissions were accepted until April 28, and although the deadline has passed, people can still upload images via Outernet until May 8. Individual contributions can be viewed within the portrait at Outernet using an iPad, and the company plans to announce the final number of submissions on May 9.

Christie’s has also organized an exhibition of works by students and alumni from the Drawing Year, an intensive program for young artists established by King Charles III as part of the Royal Drawing School in 2000. The exhibition features commissioned works by the Royal Drawing School and an archive of drawings – one made by each student after successfully graduating.

Five of the commissioned works will be available for purchase as limited-edition prints and a portion of the funds raised will go towards the Drawing Year Scholarship Fund. The exhibition will be on view from May 2 to 25.

In addition to the exhibition, Christie’s will auction a canvas iteration of “The Royally Big Portrait” and sell prints during an event at Outernet on May 4. The proceeds from the auction and sale of prints will benefit BBC Children in Need, a charity that helps children living in poverty or experiencing social injustices.

Kevis House Gallery is also hosting an exhibition showcasing more than a dozen of King Charles III’s watercolors, with signed limited-edition lithographs available for purchase. The sales from the exhibition will benefit The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund.

The coronation of King Charles III is a momentous event in British history. These initiatives by Christie’s and other organizations aim to involve the public in the celebrations while supporting various charities and causes. The response from people across Britain to the crowd-sourcing project has been overwhelmingly positive, showcasing the power of art to bring people together and celebrate important events.

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On the underside of the rock, Banksy inscribed a secret word. The first person to find the rock and email the concealed word to the artist was to become the owner of a certified original piece of art.

After its emergence in Palestine, the artwork Spike was traded between a number of private collectors, until it was exposed during one of the first Banksy expositions to run in the US.

That New York appearance was the last time Spike was seen in public. Today, in partnership with Valuart, a start-up company that allows art collectors to connect with artists selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the piece has been reimagined as a digital original.

The owner of Spike, Vittorio Grigolo, features in the Spike NFT artwork with the Italian tenor’s stirring tones providing the background music as the rock soars through the air in a CGI-created piece. The rock lands in the water, and disappears before emerging to spin in circles.

Grigolo said 50 per cent of proceeds from the auction sale will go to charity.

Winning bidder will take ownership of Spike NFT including the underlying file in ultra-high resolution, a physical certificate of authenticity and a limited edition catalogue from Valuart, created specifically for the NFT release.

A private visit to Valuart’s NFT gallery in Paradiso, Switzerland to see the physical Spike artwork is included for the new owner, who will also be invited to attend an exclusive dinner with the company’s founders and owner of the original artwork.

The auction had a bid of 1.5 Ethereum ($3,095) on Friday 5.30pm UAE time, with six days still left for bidding.

The digital creation of Spike is not the first time Banksy pieces have been involved in the digital art world. In March this year, a blockchain company bought a Banksy artwork to turn it into an NFT. Entitled Morons, the original print cost $95,000, and was subsequently burnt on a live broadcast on Twitter as part of the NFT. The print went up in flames and the NFT was sold to an anonymous buyer for around $380,000 in cryptocurrency.

In May, auction house Sotheby’s accepted $12.9 million in cryptocurrency for the street artist’s Love is in the Air. It was the first time a major auction house accepted digital currency for a physical artwork.

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Christie’s will donate the profits to ClientEarth, a nonprofit legal organization that brings governments and private companies to account with the expertise of legal teams. The works have been donated by the artists and the member galleries, which include Hauser and Wirth, Thomas Dane Gallery, and White Cube.

The new initiative, called “Artists for ClientEarth,” will launch with the sale of Cecily Brown’s painting There’ll be bluebirds (2019) at Christie’s evening sale in London on October 15. The work, which was shown during the artist’s solo exhibition at Blenheim Palace in September, has a pre-sale estimate of £500,000 to £700,000 ($589,000 to $963,000).

A work by Rashid Johnson will be included in the New York sale in November. Gormley’s work will appear in February 2022 and a donation from Beatriz Milhazes will go up for sale a few months later, in June. Each of the works will appear at local sales in order to cut down on carbon-heavy shipping.

“The law must be enforced and strengthened in order to protect what we have always taken for granted: the creatures, plants, and people on which the future of the planet relies,” Gormley said in a statement.

Christie’s pledged to become carbon net-zero by 2030. All members of the Gallery Climate Coalition, which was founded in October, have pledged to reduce their carbon footprint by 50 percent in the next 10 years, in line with the Paris agreement. Local chapters have now been opened in Berlin and London to help members find local solutions to carbon reduction.

The Gallery Climate Coalition will host a parallel program of talks to educate collectors and art world professionals about the vital work that ClientEarth undertakes to create systemic change to protect the planet. Based in Europe, Asia, and the U.S., ClientEarth has teams of lawyers who use their specialized expertise to block the construction of coal power plants or to legally force lenders to withdraw funding for fossil fuels.

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The 100 Million Meals campaign which was launched at the beginning of the holy month, concluded on Saturday, 8 April, 2021 after drawing massive donations from 385,000 individuals, companies, businessmen and philanthropists across 51 countries through various donation channels and charity auctions.

Distribution of food parcels will continue over the next three months to reach beneficiaries in the 30 targeted countries. Every Dhs1 donated helped provide one meal in beneficiary countries. Funds raised will help distribute food parcels, equivalent to 216 million meals, to people in need across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

The campaign’s organizer Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) is teaming up with 12 food banks and nine humanitarian and charitable organizations to deliver food aid to the doorstep of underserved homes in targeted countries.

The Ramadan campaign was launched to create a food safety net for disadvantaged communities and provide a chance of a dignified life, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated unemployment and poverty in developing nations. The campaign is part of UAE’s contribution to global efforts to combat world hunger and malnutrition.

Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Secretary-General of MBRGI, said the overwhelming success of the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign reflects the deep connection of the UAE community and institutions with the humanitarian and relief initiatives launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The campaign brought together all segments of the society from the art community and car enthusiasts to prominent businessmen, government and private entities, and members of the public from inside and outside the UAE.

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From April until September, the British contemporary artist used the ballroom of Dubai’s Atlantis, The Palm to make the world’s largest canvas – officially certified by Guinness World Records – measuring 1,800 square meters and spanning more than two football fields placed end to end.

The 1800-square-metres artwork was cut into 70 separate panels, which painter Sacha Jafri auctioned off in the hope of raising $30 million for charity. However, the piece was sold in its entirety to Andre Abdoune, Chief Executive Officer of Altius Gestion International Holding, during an auction in Dubai on Monday for a staggering $62 million.

The funds will be split between Dubai Cares, Unicef, Unesco, Global Gift Foundation, as well as the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence and the Ministry of Education in the UAE. One of the programs to benefit will be Unicef’s Giga project, an initiative launched last year alongside the International Telecommunication Union with the aim of connecting every school in the world to the internet.

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