Online Auction | 5–19 August



On 19 August, the second iteration of the groundbreaking Say It Loud sale, dedicated to the amplification and celebration of Black artists’ work, narratives and voices, closed online as a resounding success. Organised by the Christie’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee and curated by international advisor and gallerist Destinee-Ross Sutton, the online auction realised $851,000, more than doubling its estimated value and selling 94% by lot.

The top prices went to returning artist Isshaq Ismail, for Nonchalant 2 (Nana Kwesi Wiafe), Milo Matthieu’s Aged in Harmony and Kojo Marfo’s Stranger #10. The three paintings share themes and elements of abstracted figuration, bright washes of colour and explorations of identity with references to the artists’ respective backgrounds.

The philanthropic sale ran concurrently with an exhibition at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries in New York from 5–19 August. All proceeds from the sale directly benefited the artists and their representatives. A portion of remitted proceeds will go toward funding BLACK ARTIST COLLECTIVE, a foundation founded by co-curator Destinee Ross-Sutton to help promote and support in particular young and emerging African and LGTBQ+ artists of color.

We look forward to welcoming you to our upcoming CSR initiatives, events and exhibitions, including The Archive of Dust: 2001-2021, a selection of Elena del Rivero’s salvaged and reconstructed photocollages from the events of 9/11, on 9-12 September in New York; and Live It Up, an exhibition dedicated to artwork created by young adults with Down Syndrome, opening on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December in New York.

Explore the auction


Special feature


Say It Loud: Visionaries of Self


Ahead of this year’s Say It Loud auction, a number of employees across a range of Christie’s departments, who all play an active role in Christie’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, pick out their favourites and explain why the works — and the artists behind them — have such an impact.

Read full feature


Viewing information

Viewing by appointment only. Should you wish to secure a reservation time, please click here. 

Location
20 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York

Viewing
5–19 August

Contacts
Celine Cunha
sayitloud@christies.com

Leah Kuttruff
sayitloud@christies.com

WATCH: Business Skills for the Artist

About the curator



Meet Destinee Ross-Sutton

We are thrilled for the second year to highlight our partnership with curator Destinee Ross-Sutton. Ms. Ross-Sutton is an International Curator, Artist Advocate, Art Advisor, and Gallerist. Ross-Sutton has curated and co-curated successful international group exhibitions at renowned institutions such as CFHILL, Stockholm, Sweden and the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA). Ross-Sutton recently opened a namesake gallery in Soho, New York. Her inaugural show, BLACK VOICES: Friend of My Mind, is the largest exhibition of emerging and contemporary artists from the African Diaspora ever staged in the United States. Independently, she advises several private institutions and international collectors on acquisitions of contemporary art with a focus on African and African American art. In her curatorial projects, Ms. Ross-Sutton has repeatedly demonstrated her ability to unify diverse subjects and styles. Within her purview as artist manager, she acts as steward, guiding artists careers to fruition. In her eyes, “showing a wide range of opinions, voices, and countless expressions of beauty is essential in a world where compassion and connection is needed now more than ever” (D. Ross, quoted in exh. cat.,Black Voices/Black Microcosm, 8 April-9 May 2020).

Photo credit: Grace Roselli, Pandora's BoxX Project

More about Charity auctions at Christie’s






Christie’s is proud to support philanthropic initiatives through our networks, whether by facilitating the sale of artwork to benefit important causes; offering, when we can, our salerooms as a venue for fundraising events; or providing expert charity auctioneers.

Find out more

A note from Christie’s leadership


Christie’s is committed to addressing systemic racism and discrimination in our society and creating a more diverse, socially engaged organization. It is our responsibility now and going forward to listen, understand, acknowledge, take action and celebrate the rich histories and the future promise that these artists represent. Throughout the past year we have taken time to reflect as a community, and have started consulting with external experts and engaging with the larger arts community through philanthropic and educational projects. We acknowledge, though, that there is still much work to do, and will continue along this crucial journey towards creating permanent change—both here at Christie’s and more broadly throughout the art world.