Artists for Climate Action Returns to Christie's During Frieze Week

Christie's is bringing back Artists for Climate Action for a second edition, timed to its 20th/21st Century Evening Sale in London on October 14 and 15 during Frieze Week.

The initiative, which began in 2021, pairs the auction house with the climate charities Gallery Climate Coalition and ClientEarth. Artists have donated works to the sale.

Igshaan Adams has donated The certainty of being a rose (ii) (2026), a sculpture made of beads, thread and textile, carrying an estimate of £60,000 to £80,000. Patricia Leite has donated her painting Brilhante (2026), depicting a navy sky with the moon and a green landscape, estimated at £20,000 to £30,000.

Proceeds from the donated lots will be split between Gallery Climate Coalition and ClientEarth, with GCC directing its share toward free tools, guidance and new research.

Heath Lowndes, director at GCC, told ARTnews that the proceeds will be divided between the two charities. On the ClientEarth side, he said, the funding supports strategic legal action holding governments and major corporations to account, challenging pollution and greenwashing, protecting ecosystems and communities, and strengthening and enforcing environmental law.

At GCC, Lowndes said the funding will support infrastructure that allows individuals and organizations across the visual arts to take credible environmental action. That includes keeping tools and resources free to access, such as its Carbon Calculator and sector-specific guidance, as well as producing new research and resources.

Lowndes described Artists for Climate Action as a rolling initiative rather than a one-off or single annual moment. He said the model is deliberately flexible: auctions are one route, but private sales of artworks are also part of the effort, with hopes of expanding into events, exhibitions and other collaborations. The stated aim is to build a community of artists, galleries and collectors using the cultural and economic influence of the art world to support climate action.

GCC has a busy autumn. During Frieze Week in London it is running 10% Of, now in its second year, in which participating galleries nominate an artwork and, if it sells, re-route the 10% discount often offered to collectors to GCC. Last year the program raised £33,000, and more than a dozen galleries have nominated works this time.

In November, GCC will host a National Emergency Briefing event at the Starr Cinema at Tate Modern on November 18. Lowndes also said the organization is in the early research stages of a major new project focused on the energy transition across the UK visual arts, examining how galleries, museums, studios and other cultural organizations can move toward cleaner and more resilient energy systems.