'House of Cards' auction raises £100,000 for Shelter

Fifty-two works of art by top creatives including Damien Hirst, Marc Quinn, David Bailey and Vivienne Westwood went under the hammer on Monday night, raising over £100,000 for Shelter in the culmination of the housing charity’s House of Cards exhibition.

The nail-biting auction, held at the Haunch of Venison gallery in London’s West End, attracted buyers from around the world hoping to snap up a piece from the once-in-lifetime collection which includes original works of photography, installation, street art, graphic design and painting inspired by playing cards from the deck.

Shelter invited the artists to design the cards for an exhibition as part of its House of Cards campaign, created by Leo Burnett London, to highlight Britain’s housing crisis. Other artists involved included Rankin (King of Diamonds) Alexander McQueen (King of Spades) and Boo Ritson (8 of Hearts).

The full deck was on display at the Haunch of Venison between Thursday 24 and Monday 28 September. Visitors were invited to place silent bids on the artwork over the duration of the exhibition, with 20 of the pieces going through to the live auction on the final night.

Shelter’s chief executive Sam Younger said: “This exhibition has enabled us to engage new audiences with our House of Cards campaign in a creative and innovative way. We’ve had a fantastic response from the public and would like to thank all the artists involved for the contributions they have made.

“The money raised through the auction will help Shelter continue to provide vital advice and support to the growing number of households across the country in housing need.

"With an estimated 65,000 homes facing repossession this year and almost 1.8 million stuck on council house waiting lists, there can be no doubt that Britain is in the midst of a housing crisis.”

One thousand limited edition oversized packs of cards featuring the artwork from the House of Cards exhibition are on sale at www.shelterhouseofcards.org.uk at a cost of £70 each. All profits from the sale of these cards will go to Shelter.