An estimated QR138,725 was raised at a charity auction held recently, with the organisers saying the final amount will be confirmed soon as the bidders have up to seven days to proceed with the payment.
On the occasion of Ramadan and under the patronage of Sheikh Dr Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali al-Thani, premium French furniture design brand Roche Bobois held the “Qatari Art Meets the Mah Jong” charity auction in collaboration with AlBahie Auction House to raise funds for Rofaqa, a Qatar Charity initiative that provides an integrated care programme for orphaned children around the world.
Twelve Qatar-based artists “freely and totally re-imagined” one of the most iconic pieces of the French house — the Mah Jong sofa, according to a press statement. The 12 pieces of art went under the hammer on the evening of June 7. The artists are Ahmed al-Bahrani, Ahmed al-Musaifri, Amal al-Aathem, Hasa Kala, Ismail Azzam, Mohamed Abouelnaga, Monera al-Meer, Nadia al-Meer, Nour Abuissa, Sabah Arbilli, Salman al-Malik and Yousef Ahmed. A press preview and private viewing was held on May 31 at AlBahie Auction House.
An exhibition of the artworks was open to the public from June 1 until June 6.
“Following the success of similar events in Mexico, the US, the UK, Spain, Brussels, Kazakhstan and more recently Hong Kong and Beirut, Qatar has now put its own spin on the project,” the statement noted.
All funds raised will be used to support the Rofaqa initiative, which aims to develop an advanced integrated care programme for orphans around the world, including social, educational, health and psychological care of orphans worldwide. Nicolas Roche, creative director of Roche Bobois, said: “It’s been fascinating to see the variety of approaches and ideas to come from such a talented group of artists.”
Rami El Natsha, deputy MD of Tivoli Group of Companies, business partner of Roche Bobois in Qatar, added: “We’re delighted to be supporting Rofaqa, a Qatar Charity initiative that provides care to orphans worldwide.”
Ashraf Abu Issa, chairman & CEO of Abu Issa Holding and co-founder of AlBahie Auction House, noted: “AlBahie Auction House is pleased to host Roche Bobois and Qatar Charity for this unique collaboration of Qatari artists and majlis-style sofas.”
Abdulsalam Abu Issa, Nabil Abu Issa, Rami El Natsha, Ashraf Abu Issa and Mohamed Abu Issa.
