Blindarte's COVID-19 Charity Auction Raises €122,770 for Lombardy and Pascale Institute

Blindarte, the Neapolitan auction house with a Milan office, concluded its 'Stop COVID-19' online charity auction, raising €122,770. Of this, approximately €76,000 went to the Pascale Institute in Naples and €46,000 to the Lombardy Region. The top lot was Cai Guo-Qiang's 'Gunpowder test from Naples n.7' (2018), sold for €30,000 to Giuseppe Morra, who paid immediately to the Pascale Institute's emergency account. A portrait of Dr. Paolo Antonio Ascierto by street artist Jorit fetched €14,400, split equally between the two beneficiaries. Other notable donations included works by Antony Gormley (€15,000), Mimmo Jodice (€6,800 for a 1984 vintage print 'Via Emilia'), Roberto Coda Zabetta, and Davide Cantoni. Collectors Andrea Zegna and Ernesto Esposito, along with galleries Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea, Galleria Continua, and Galleria Lia Rumma, also contributed. Blindarte director Memmo Grilli stated the initiative aimed to find resources for the emergency where they are least expected, leveraging the expertise of Edoardo Osculati, Mariuccia Casadio, and Silvia Macchetto. The auction is ongoing, with new works added as donations arrive. Similar initiatives include Radio Gamec for Bergamo's Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Acqua Foundation's crowdfunding for Rome's Spallanzani Hospital, and donations from Gucci, Prada, and Armani to Milan's Luigi Sacco and San Raffaele hospitals.