Brian Eno is among the artists putting work under the hammer for a London auction supporting humanitarian aid in Palestine, telling Spear’s that the super-rich have so far been ‘incredibly useless’ in supporting philanthropic causes.
The auction, administered by UK-based charity Choose Love, will open for bids on 26 March and will run until 9 April, with a public exhibition of the works on display at HOPE93 Gallery in London during the same period.
Artists who will put work in the auction include stage designer and visual artist Es Devlin, musician and generative artist Brian Eno, Turner Prize-winning ceramicist Sir Grayson Perry, conceptual artist Jeremy Deller and Palestinian painter and installation artist Khaled Hourani.
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Eno, who pioneered ambient music and has produced for the likes of David Bowie and U2, is contributing his print Seeing Through to Sky (pictured below) to the sale. He speaks to Spear’s over Zoom on a rainy Friday morning, wearing his characteristic bright pink shirt, with a faintly reluctant air and under the watchful eye of his assistant, half-joking that he hopes he doesn’t ‘sabotage the chances of this auction attracting any wealthy people.’
He says it with a smirk, but there’s a real tension in how he approaches trying to appeal to the very collectors and investors these sales rely on.
Eno is candid about his frustration with what he sees as a failure of proportion when it comes to philanthropy among the ultra-wealthy, arguing that the level of giving ‘simply does not match the scale of resources available’.
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A member of Patriotic Millionaires UK, an organisation of wealthy Britons campaigning for the redistribution of extreme wealth, and with a personal fortune estimated at around £50 million, he has long advocated for a fairer balance of resources while drawing a clear distinction between different tiers of affluence. ‘We have to understand that there are rich people and then there are billionaires,’ he says. ‘Those are in a different league.’
We talk about how he ‘frankly despises’ the super-rich, describing them as ‘irresponsible’ for hoarding wealth while contributing little to society. Yet, apologetic about his mood and aware of the cause he’s supporting, he eventually softens, acknowledging that in the context of an auction like this, the one per cent should still be encouraged to support. ‘If you think the world could be better,’ he says, ‘and if you notice there are people who are making it better, even if you can’t think of anything you can do yourself… bloody well help them.’
He gestures to the network of ordinary people quietly making a difference and offers, in what feels like a reluctant compromise, ‘if you don’t want to change the world yourself, you can find the people who are changing it. And help them. Change their world. And then everybody benefits.’
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For the producer behind countless initiatives, including last year’s concert at Wembley that brought together over 100 artists for Palestinian humanitarian aid, the frustration with concentrated wealth runs deep. ‘Wealthy people are often incredibly useless,’ he says. ‘We live in a system which concentrates wealth… the wealthiest people are likely to become wealthier, and the poorest aren’t likely to ever become even remotely wealthy. That’s the nature of capitalism. It creates wealth, but it also concentrates it.’
He also reflects on the old promise of trickle-down theory, noting wryly that in practice, it didn’t actually work: ‘It turns out that hoover-up worked better.’
And yet, even as he condemns the irresponsibility of many rich people, he is not without hope. ‘There are exceptions, obviously. Some people have enough balls and generosity. It takes courage.’ He pauses, reflecting on the near-impossibility of convincing the very wealthy to share: ‘It’s almost hopeless to plead with them to make themselves less rich. They’ve spent the major part of their lives focusing on nothing else. And then for someone like me to come along and say, “Hey, why don’t you share it?”… it’s such a fundamental question.’
For a moment, Eno’s first smile of the conversation appears, and he seems slightly more relaxed as we turn to his art.
He is contributing an inkjet print from 2025, swirling with the colours of the Palestinian flag, and he explains that it plays on a kind of duality. ‘It’s trying to make a kind of pun on an image that is at the same time an image of identity,’ he says. ‘It is the flag, but it’s also a cage. Those people are engaged because of their racial identity, actually. This flag represents both a blessing and a curse.’ He made it with auctions like this in mind, wanting something that resonates directly with the cause. ‘I’ve got plenty of other things I could put in, but they wouldn’t have any material connection,’ he adds.
We discuss a connection I had made between this work and his 1975 song Sky Saw, and he laughs. ‘Well, it’s nice you made that connection. I hadn’t made it myself, but that’s what songs are for – giving people a reason to make interesting connections.’
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‘When rich people acquire a work like this, in this specific context… if they hang it somewhere in one of their spaces, it raises a question. It says, “This is where my heart is. This is something I support.” It would certainly be a strong message in certain contexts where you wouldn’t expect it. I don’t know who will buy this, but I’ll be very grateful to them, and even more grateful if it sparks conversations about this subject.’
Proceeds from the auction will go to the Together For Palestine Fund, administered by charity Choose Love, which provides humanitarian aid to refugees around the world. Collectors and visitors can view the full roster of artists and their pieces online, with every work available for bidding through the auction website.
The funds raised will go directly to emergency relief in Palestine, covering essentials such as food and water, healthcare, shelter, mental health support and orphan care in Gaza.
