Bentley Art Project Raised £70K for Charity

British carmaker Bentley and Bonhams auction house raised more than £70,000 for The Christie cancer hospital in Manchester at a gala auction of artworks by Bentley’s design and styling team earlier this week. The event was attended by over 300 guests and was conducted by James Knight, international managing director of Collectors Cars at Bonhams.

The collection included a vast array of sculptures, painting, digital art and photography all created by Bentley’s in-house design team, who are better known for the creation of iconic cars such as the Continental GT and the new Bentley Mulsanne.

“It is a pleasure and a source of great pride to see the creativity of our design team applied beyond our motor cars.  This artistic skill is rarely seen outside the design studio so this unique collection has provided Bentley enthusiasts with the opportunity to own a real piece of Bentley design history,” said Franz-Josef Paefgen, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley, in a release.

“The dedication and inspiration of the Bentley design and styling team has resulted in a stunning contribution to the work we do in cancer research and treatment. The collaboration with Bentley has been very successful and we are thrilled that the art works have raised so much money to support the Christie,” said Toni Leden, Appeals Director at the Christie.

“The Christie cared for my mother during her illness and I was truly inspired by the care and empathy shown to her by staff at the hospital.  Because I was there at the time my connection to the hospital goes very deep and this project has been a very good, positive step to go forward and do something different,” concluded Bentley designer Rich Gilmartin.