Alumni work raises £1.4m at auction for Gallery at Goldsmiths

Work donated by graduates of Goldsmiths, University of London, who went on to become some of the biggest names in the contemporary art world, has sold for more than £1.4 million at Christie’s, to raise funds for a new gallery on campus.

‌Damien Hirst’s Ipratropium Bromide, which had an estimated sale price of £250,000-350,000, was sold for £542,500 while Sarah Lucas’ Nahuiolin (estimated at £120,000 - £180,000) reached £266,500. Antony Gormley’s sculpture, Another Time XX, sold for £194,500.

The money raised by the donated works at the Post-War and Contemporary auction on Thursday 12 February provides a significant boost to funds already raised, and brings us closer to the £2.8m fundraising target for the Gallery at Goldsmiths project.

Over the last 25 years, Goldsmiths graduates have been instrumental in turning contemporary art into one of the most dynamic art forms in British culture, with 30 nominees and seven winners of the Turner Prize.

Designed by Assemble and built around the Victorian water tanks at the Laurie Grove Baths in New Cross, the Gallery will provide an inspiring teaching, learning and events space for future generations of Goldsmiths students and the local community.

The Gallery will host an international programme of exhibitions, residencies and projects, stimulating inventive and original work while simultaneously contributing toward new research.

Dr Richard Noble, Head of the Department of Art at Goldsmiths, commented:

“Through the overwhelming generosity of our illustrious alumni we have raised the incredible sum of £1.4m that will enable us to create a new centre for contemporary art in south London.

"The Gallery at Goldsmiths will offer a unique, research-driven programme of exhibitions, projects and residencies. The exhibition and events programme will reflect the dynamic culture of making and researching visual art at Goldsmiths by acting as a laboratory, generating new art works, new exhibitions and new research projects, benefiting a diverse audience including Goldsmiths students, local residents and international art world.

We are eternally grateful to all of the artists and collectors who contributed to today’s auction, and to Christie's for their ongoing support.”