The Association Réttindi barna á flótta, or Rights of Displaced Children, raised ISK 1.082 million [$7,642; €7,209] at an art auction at Iðnó on Saturday, mbl.is reports. Local children also did their part by selling their own artwork and Christmas cards during the auction and raised ISK 36,000 [$254; €239] for the cause.
“We reached our goal, which was to cover the bills that we already owe in connection with the help we’ve been providing children of late,” said co-founder Esther Þorvaldsdóttir.
Saturday’s weather discouraged the happenstance foot traffic that the auction might have otherwise enjoyed given the venue’s central location, but there was still a fair turnout from local art collectors who’d been hoping to add to their collections. A group of tourists were also invited in to come in, enjoy the art, and warm themselves from the cold.
The auction included musical performances from Sigríður Thorlacius and Guðmundur Óskar, as well as author and artist Hallgrímur Helgason’s recitation of a poem he wrote for the occasion. Hallgrímur was also among the artists whose work was sold at the auction.
Úlfur Karlsson, Sunna Ben, GAGA SKORRDAL, Hugleikur Dagsson, Þrándur Þórarinsson, Þorvaldur Jónsson, and Lu Hong also offered work for auction. There was also an original Pippi Longstocking drawing that artist Marit Törnqvist originally made for author Astrid Lindgren.
Not all of the artworks on offer sold at the auction, so any would-be art collectors who want to support a good cause can still make a bid on the organization’s art auction website.
