Art for the Ocean, auction for marine conservation

● Blue: Art for the Ocean will take place at Christie’s within its 20th/21st Century Art October Marquee Week auctions during Frieze Week

● Marina Abramović leads line-up of over 20 world-renowned artists donating art

● Proceeds will benefit Blue Marine, a charity dedicated to protecting and restoring at least 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030. LONDON – Blue Marine, a charity dedicated to protecting the ocean and tackling overfishing, one of the world’s biggest environmental problems, has partnered with Christie’s on Blue: Art for the Ocean, a philanthropic initiative taking place during the auction house’s 20th/21st Century Art Marquee Week sales in October 2024, coinciding with Frieze Art Fair in London.

More than 20 world leading artists are donating works to be auctioned within Christie’s 20th/21st Century Art sales to benefit Blue Marine’s projects around the world. Blue Marine’s mission is to combat overfishing, in order to help life in the ocean perform its vital function of stabilising the Earth’s climate. Our oceans are in danger, and a triple threat of biodiversity loss, habitat destruction and climate change threaten the health of the ocean, on which all life on earth depends. With 8 per cent of the world’s oceans secured across the world, Blue Marine is committed to supporting the UN’s Global Framework goal of “30×30” – protecting 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030.

Performance for the Oceans by Marina Abramović

One of the highlights of the Blue: Art for the Oceans initiative is a photograph (the first of an edition of three, plus two artist’s proofs) captured during a unique performance by Marina Abramović in May 2024. Filmed on Fire Island in New York, Performance for the Oceans (2024) is the result of a collaboration between the Serbian conceptual and performance artist and Blue Marine. The work depicts Abramović giving her unconditional love and energy to our oceans, stressing the urgent need for their preservation.

“My Performance for the Oceans artwork for Blue: Art for the Ocean blends my artistic vision with environmental consciousness. Approximately 70 percent of our planet is covered in water, yet our oceans are not being looked after properly. I stood on Fire Island in a red dress to give my unconditional love and energy to the ocean,” states Marina Abramović. “We are all responsible for the ocean, and as a human collective we have more consciousness and energy that we can give to the environment.” Other internationally renowned artists involved in this initiative include Yoshitomo Nara, Lydia Blakeley, and Alastair Mackie, among others.

Blue: Art for the Ocean highlights Christie’s ongoing efforts to leverage its influence in the art market for promoting sustainability and driving positive change. Recognising the urgent need for climate action, Christie’s set ambitious goals to become a more sustainable business, becoming the first major auction house to do so, and this initiative further emphasises this commitment.

Clare Brook, CEO, Blue Marine Foundation: “We are thrilled to present these wonderful works of art, donated so generously by leading artists from around the world. We are so grateful to all the artists and to Christie’s for joining with Blue Marine to raise awareness and generate funds to support the critical work of ocean conservation. By protecting the ocean, we are protecting our biggest climate ally. With your support, we can make a profound difference to returning the oceans to health.” Katharine Arnold, Vice Chairman, 20th/21st Century Art and Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, Europe at Christie’s: “We are honoured to partner with Blue Marine Foundation in their crucial efforts to protect the oceans and their essential role in our planet’s ecosystem. Marina Abramović’s performance highlights the collective effort and shared responsibility needed to preserve our climate, and we are proud to present this alongside other exciting works to benefit this important cause. At Christie’s, we are dedicated to continuously inspiring systemic change across the art market, actively working to build a more sustainable future and creating positive impact with our partnerships. We look forward to hosting this initiative in our 20th/21st Century Art October Frieze Week sale season, as we celebrate the creativity of this key international convening moment in the capital.”

An exhibition of the works included in Blue: Art for the Ocean will be exhibited at Christie’s galleries in London to coincide with the view of its 20th/21st Century Art in October.

More information about the initiative and participating artists can be found on Blue Marine’s and Christie’s websites.

NOTES TO EDITORS

100% of the hammer price for all lots will benefit Blue Marine Foundation, a UK registered charity (charity number 1137209). For selected lots, the charity will use 95% for its charitable purposes.

Press contacts Beatrice Boatto | bboatto@christies.com | +44 207 752 3117 | Christie’s London Sally Cusack | sallypr@theprophets.co.uk | +44 786 875 3499 | Blue Marine Foundation Emma Ninham | emma@theprophets.co.uk | +44 777 623 6794 | Blue Marine Foundation

About Christie’s

Founded in 1766, Christie’s is a world-leading art and luxury business with a physical presence in 46 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, and flagship international sales hubs in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Geneva. Renowned and trusted for our expert live and online-only auctions, as well as bespoke Private Sales, Christie’s unparalleled network of specialists offers our clients a full portfolio of global services, including art appraisal, art financing, international real estate and education. Christie’s auctions span more than 80 art and luxury categories, at price points ranging from $500 to over $100 million. Christie’s has sold 7 of the 10 most important single-owner collections in history, achieved the world record price for an artwork at auction, launched the first fully on-chain auction platform dedicated to exceptional NFT art and manages an investment fund to support innovative startups in the art market. Christie’s is also committed to advancing responsible culture throughout its business and communities worldwide. To learn more, browse, bid, discover, and join us for the best of art and luxury at christies.com or by downloading Christie’s apps.

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ABOUT CHRISTIE’S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY – 2023 REPORT

Early on, Christie’s acknowledged the urgent scientific evidence for climate action and set ambitious and important goals to become a more sustainable business, becoming the first major auction house to do this. In March 2021, Christie’s launched a sustainability strategy driven by 3 goals: zero-impact, nature stewardship and collective action, pledging to commit, communicate and collaborate on these goals that guide the global approach to sustainability across the business.

Christie’s:

• committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 50% by 2030

• pledged to communicate – and continue to share progress and learnings

• affirmed its mission to collaborate, not only within the business but with external partners to support climate-focused initiatives that effect positive change

Christie’s is an Active Member of the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) a global non-profit organisation founded by a voluntary group of gallerists and professionals. Their aim is to help the art world reduce its impact on the climate and to develop a meaningful and industry-specific response to the growing climate crisis. As a member of the Coalition, we ensure we collaborate so that we learn from our colleagues in the wider art market and also share what we have learnt. We also contribute financially to the GCC.

About Blue Marine Foundation Blue Marine Foundation is a UK ocean conservation charity set up in 2010 by some of the team behind the award-winning documentary film ‘The End of the Line’. Blue Marine aims to restore the ocean to health by addressing overfishing, one of the world’s biggest environmental problems. The charity is dedicated to creating marine reserves, restoring vital habitats, and establishing models of sustainable fishing. Its mission is to see 30 percent of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70 per cent responsibly managed.