Christie's Revives Artists for Climate Action for Frieze Week

Christie's will run the second edition of Artists for Climate Action during its 20th/21st Century Evening Sale in London on October 14 and 15, timed to Frieze Week. The initiative, launched in 2021, pairs the auction house with climate charities Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) and ClientEarth.

Two artists are donating works. Igshaan Adams gives The certainty of being a rose (ii) (2025), a sculpture made of beads, thread and textile, estimated at £60,000 to £80,000 (approximately $79,000–$100,000). Patricia Leite donates Brilhante (2026), a painting of a navy sky with the moon above a green landscape, estimated at £20,000–£30,000 (approximately $26,000–$40,000).

Christie's said it is bringing back Artists for Climate Action to push sustainability in the art world and support the initiative's goal of reducing carbon footprint across logistics, travel, energy use, waste management, packing materials and supplier engagement.

Heath Lowndes, director at GCC, told ARTnews: "The proceeds from the auction sales will be split between GCC and ClientEarth. On the ClientEarth side it 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."

On the GCC side, the funding will support the infrastructure that allows individuals and organizations across the visual arts to take credible environmental action. "That means keeping our tools and resources free to access, including our Carbon Calculator and sector-specific guidance as well as producing new research and resources that make environmental action easier and more effective," Lowndes said.

He added that Artists for Climate Action will be a rolling initiative rather than a one-off or single annual moment. The model is deliberately flexible: auctions are one route, and GCC is also conducting private sales of artworks, with hopes of potentially expanding into events, exhibitions and other collaborations. "The aim is to build a community of artists, galleries and collectors using the cultural and economic influence of the art world to support meaningful climate action. The ambition is to build momentum not a moment," Lowndes said.

GCC has a full autumn schedule. During Frieze Week in London, the charity runs the second year of its 10% Of program, in which participating galleries nominate an artwork and, if it sells, redirect the 10% discount often offered to collectors to GCC. Last year the program raised £33,000 (roughly $43,000); more than a dozen galleries have currently nominated works. On November 18, GCC will host a National Emergency Briefing event at the Starr Cinema at Tate Modern.

"We are also in the early research stages of a major new project focused on the energy transition across the U.K. visual arts, looking at how galleries, museums, studios and other cultural organizations can move towards cleaner and more resilient energy systems," Lowndes said.

If the Frieze Week sale matches last year's fundraising momentum, Artists for Climate Action could become a durable fixture of the art market calendar — a rolling engine of climate funding rather than a charity one-off.