TOP CHARITY Auction Raises €20M in 2026, Redefining Art Philanthropy

The TOP CHARITY auction, founded in 2022 by Omenaa Mensah and Rafał Brzoska, has grown from an emergency response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine into a major philanthropic model. The 2026 edition raised approximately €20 million, placing it alongside the amfAR Gala. Unlike single-cause auctions, TOP CHARITY funds educational, cultural, and humanitarian projects in Poland and Africa via its Philanthropic Consortium, which has supported 167 projects reaching 800,000 beneficiaries. The auction catalog featured 14 works by artists including Ewa Juszkiewicz, Amoako Boafo, Ibrahim Mahama, and Magdalena Abakanowicz, reflecting a globalized art market. Top lots included Krzysztof Renes's sculpture 'On, Venus, Youth' (€420,000) and Juszkiewicz's 'The Grove' (€400,000). Sculpture performed strongly, with Constantin Brâncuși's 'Mademoiselle Pogany' selling for nearly ten times its estimate. The initiative exemplifies a return to private patronage amid shrinking public funding for culture.