The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation’s 11th Hour auction at Christie’s raised over $38.8 million Monday night in New York.
In an effort to raise money for environmental protection causes, the Hollywood star and Christie’s auctioned off works from the world’s most famous artists including Banksy, Andreas Gursky, Bharti Kher, Julian Schnabel, Richard Prince, Mark Ryden and more.
Pictured below is a portrait of DiCaprio by American artist Elizabeth Peyton. It sold for a shocking $1.05 million to an unknown bidder at the auction.
The 11th Hour auction was dedicated to protect the last wild places on earth and endangered species, with the money raised at the auction going to conservation projects championed by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. The star-studded auction attracted actors like Bradley Cooper, Salma Hayek and Tobey Maguire.
“Despite the significant efforts of organizations and individuals all over the world, our modern way of life has caused unprecedented devastation to our oceans, our forests and our wildlife,” the actor said. “We are at the 11th hour, we are facing a tipping point of environmental crisis unprecedented in human history.”
At the end of the night, the auction house said “The gifts of many other generous donors totaled $500,000, generating an overall amount of $38.8 million.”
