On 10th September 2008, Altius Associates staged its second private equity art exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London. The evening offered a unique display of visual art created exclusively by people within or connected to private equity. The event was extremely well attended; with over 200 tickets being pre-ordered, and over 40 of the artists attending. Once all guests had found their way around the pieces on display, then began the donated items main auction, where 13 lots were offered, courtesy of people and companies associated with the private equity world and beyond. The auctioneer for the evening, Richard Roff, put his skills to work and generated a staggering £21,380 for the charity fund, enticing bidders to exceed and even treble the estimates!

The interest and support that the event received from artists from across the private equity industry was absolutely phenomenal. Over 130 artworks were donated from a truly global list of participants with contributions from nearly 90 artists across Australia, Europe, Asia and the U.S.

Through the lottery system employed, guests were given the chance to leave at the end of the night with one of the displayed artworks. Six of the donated artworks were also made into limited edition prints and these were available to guests who did not receive an original.

The substantial amount raised from the auction has now been added to the amount generated from ticket sales, a silent auction of five lots offered at the event, and other donations, creating an amazing grand total of £37,000, which is to be divided equally between the three nominated charities: Multiple Sclerosis International Federation, The Badge of Honor Memorial Foundation, and Shelter. Courtesy of Devilishly Handsome Productions, a short film of the evening’s events is now available at www.altius-associates.com. We would like to thank all those who contributed to the Altius Art Exhibition, and all others who have been so supportive of this event.

Why a private equity art exhibition?

During the course of our work, over a number of years, we have discovered the latent creativity buried beneath private equity desks across the world. Unable to turn a blind eye to such repressed talent, we decided to organise a social evening with the crucial attraction being the work of artists from the private equity arena. The first Altius Art Exhibition was held in September 2005 at Christie’s in London – that evening raised £25,000 for the then two nominated charities – Shelter and Multiple Sclerosis International Federation. This year, Altius added the Badge of Honor Memorial Foundation.

About Altius Associates

Altius Associates currently advises and manages over $16 billion in private equity and alternative asset funds for clients based across Europe, North America and Australia. It has a team of 28 professionals based in London and Richmond, Virginia.