Charity Art Auction raises AED 36.6 million for '100 Million Meals'

A Kaaba Cover, part of the personal collection of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was sold for $2.7 million (WAM)

The '100 Million Meals' charity art auction raised AED 36,673,000 towards the campaign on Saturday.

The contribution will go towards feeding 36,673,000 people in need across 30 countries during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

British artist Sacha Jafri’s artwork raised the highest bid of $4.2 million, while a Kaaba Cover, part of the personal collection of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was sold for $2.7 million.

Organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the charity auction also included rare artworks by world-renowned artists Pablo Picasso, David Hockney, Joan Miro, Henri Matisse and Salvador Dali.

Two drawings by the late South African leader Nelson Mandela also went under the hammer, alongside Jafri's record-breaking The Journey of Humanity and a unique collaborative work commissioned by the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign that features handprints and signatures of celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo, Eva Longoria, Steve Harvey, Maria Bravo and Roger Federer.

Meanwhile, a silent auction continues to run in Dubai until April 30, with 53 items on display, including signed jerseys by international football stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil, Nicolas Anelka, and Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal. 

The campaign, which had achieved its target on Thursday by raising AED100 million in just 10 days, continues to accept donations.

Contributors can log on to the website, make a bank transfer to the designated bank account, send SMS on the specified UAE numbers or contact the campaign call center on 8004999.

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