Artworks by leading contemporary artists – including RETNA, Dustin Yellin and Moyosore Martins – were auctioned yesterday in the South of France at the Thirty Six For Coral exhibition raising funds for coral reef conservation
Contributing artist RETNA was joined by a host of creatives and high-profile supporters including Made in Chelsea star Oliver Proudlock, Too Hot To Handle’s Kori Sampson, former-model Jo Wood, Rolling Stones musician Bernard Fowler, and financiers Michel de Carvalho, Riccardo and Cosima Pavoncelli – all supporters of Project Zero / The Coral Collective, the ocean conservation initiative behind Thirty Six For Coral.
Launched earlier this month to coincide with the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference in nearby Nice, Thirty Six For Coral features 36 original works by globally renowned artists including, Moyosore Martins, Dustin Yellin, Deborah Kass, Francesco Clemente, Nana Funo, Akwetey Orraca-Tetteh, Bradley Theodore, and includes pieces inspired by coral reefs – one of the most critically endangered ecosystems on Earth.
A live auction of 10 selected works – led by renowned auctioneer Michael Macaulay – took place at yesterday’s gala, which was hosted at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera.
Global bidding remains open online at coralcollective.basta.app until 22 June, with 26 artworks on offer and proceeds directly supporting critical coral reef protection and restoration projects around the world.
The closing gala comes a week after HRH Princess Eugenie of York, Global Ambassador for Project Zero, helped launch the exhibition at an exclusive preview on 12 June, attended by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Among the thirty-six artworks is Heart of Okeanos, a pioneering carbon sink sculpture by British-Italian artist Petroc Sesti, inspired by coral’s natural ability to capture and store carbon. By combining eco-friendly concrete with carbon capture crystals, Sesti has created a groundbreaking material that permanently locks away CO₂ in solid form – a first for the art world.
Also featured is Medusa’s Blood by Henrietta Armstrong – a striking, large-scale work inspired by ancient Mediterranean coral charms and the myth of Medusa. Glowing in vivid reds and pinks, the piece serves as both a protective talisman and a tribute to the fragile beauty of coral reefs: at once shrine, symbol, and lament for an ecosystem under threat.
The full art collection is now available to view and bid on via coralcollective.basta.app through 22 June 2025.
