LONDON.- Unique works by Sir Anthony Caro, Nathan Coley, Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, Sean Henry, Nika Neelova, Yinka Shonibare, Bob & Roberta Smith, Gillian Wearing and Jonathan Yeo are to be sold at Christie’s, King street after participating in landmark art exhibition at Somerset House.

Christie’s will host The Crisis Commission Gala Auction at King Street, London on the evening of Thursday 3rd May 2012. This is an unrivalled and exclusive opportunity to purchase new works by some of the most celebrated artists working today in aid of the national charity for single homeless people, Crisis.

With lots valued from £3,500 – £150,000, the Crisis Commission auction offers an incredible opportunity to buy contemporary art whilst supporting a heartfelt cause. The Crisis Commission Gala auction represents a landmark opportunity to invest in works by artists who have rarely, if ever, sold together at auction before, whilst also raising much needed funds to enable Crisis to continue its pioneering work to support homeless people.

The Crisis Commission Auction follows a blockbuster spring exhibition at Somerset House. This spectacular display saw some of the most celebrated artists of our day respond to themes and issues relating to homelessness – isolation, property, security and space. Exhibited artwork by Sir Anthony Caro, Nathan Coley, Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, Nika Neelova, Yinka Shonibare, Bob & Roberta Smith, Gillian Wearing and Jonathan Yeo will be auctioned alongside a terrific new sculpture by Sean Henry.

The auction is set to yield extraordinary results; Nika Neelova’s bold installation, Partings, will be auctioned with each door segment produced bespoke to the buyer. John, by Sean Henry, is to be his last statue sold before his solo exhibition in London.

The auction at Christie’s offers a unique chance to purchase artworks with a specific, sincere motive. The cost of creating the works was met by lead sponsor GlaxoSmithKline and is set to raise around £450,000 for the charity.

In recent months, the art market is outperforming investment sectors. According to the Mei Moses All Art index, which measures the ups and downs of prices in the London and New York fine art markets, the art market has outperformed the equity market for the second year running.

The Crisis Commission will raise funds for Crisis and awareness around a reality faced by an increasing number of people. As the economic downturn and austerity measures bite, homelessness is again on the rise in the UK.

Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis said: “We are thrilled that so many leading contemporary artists are participating in the Crisis Commission. This prestigious event will raise much needed funds for our work and bring a new focus to the worrying current rise in homelessness in society.”

The Crisis Commission is pleased to be supported by eminent patrons in the art world: Julia Peyton Jones, Co-director of the Serpentine Gallery; Kathleen Soriano, Director of Exhibitions at Royal Academy of Arts; Francis Outred, International Director and Head of the Post-War and Contemporary Art for Christie's; Godfrey Worsdale, Director of BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art; and Daphne Guinness.

“It is tremendous to see the way in which these extremely sought-after artists have found time in their schedules not only to support Crisis in developing this initiative, but to have done so with such commitment and generosity. So many of our great artists look into society to find the catalyst for their creativity and this auction will enable artists to impact directly in a part of society that is in very serious need of all our consideration. Not only can these interventions help people’s lives financially, but with such significant artists involved, this auction will shine an important light on the colossal inequalities of our times.”