Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Celebrates 20 Years With Art Auction

Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his nakesake foundation in a fittingly major way—with an art auction featuring work by some of the biggest names in the art world.

The auction includes lots from Ai Weiwei, Frank Gehry, David Hockney, the Haas Brothers, and a six-foot-tall painting by Wayne Thiebaud with the bidding beginning at $3 million. The proceeds of the sale will support the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation’s international efforts to protect wildlife and indigenous rights, as well as to combat climate change.

Mountain Split by Wayne Thiebaud is the most expensive item in the LDF auction. The starting bid is $3,000,000. Photo: © 2018 WAYNE THIEBAUD / LICENSED BY VAGA AT ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS) NEW YORK, NY

The foundation has raised more than $81.1 million dollars for its numerous causes since its founding in 1998, and this will be the fifth auction it has held. DiCaprio will host Saturday’s 20th Anniversary Celebration Auction in Sonoma together with an elite Hollywood crew, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Madonna, Ellen DeGeneres, and Robert Redford, who serve as event chairs.

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Forever (Stainless Steel Bicycles in Silvery), 3 Pairs 8 Layers by Ai WeiWei will be auctioned off for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Photo: Courtesy of the artist and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

The event was curated by Lisa Schiff of SFA Advisory, who has trimmed the number of lots being offered this time around. “We are not bringing just the usual suspects,” Schiff told Art Market Monitor. “We’re not hyping speculative works; and the things we sell will have lasting value well beyond the auction.”

Simon Shaw—Sotheby’s vice chairman of global fine arts—will lead the auction. LDF will also be presenting its inaugural annual Lifetime Achievement Award to environmental filmmaker, author, and Pace Gallery founder Arne Glimcher.

The online auction is now open and closes on September 15 at midnight EST.