In compliance with strict hygiene and social distancing rules, around 90 invited guests and digitally connected bidders bought 28 exceptional lots at auction: Works by artists including Ai Weiwei, Anselm Reyle, Norbert Bisky, Paul Schrader and Mia Florentine Weiss went under the hammer. Once-in-a-lifetime experiences - such as a personal encounter with the goalkeeper of the German national soccer team, Manuel Neuer, or a house concert of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra - were also auctioned off.  

VBKI President Markus Voigt said: "Social commitment is part of our association's DNA. Especially in these difficult times, it is necessary to provide help, create prospects and open up new opportunities. And that can only be done together. I would therefore like to express my sincere thanks to the many members and partners of the VBKI - in particular the host of the evening Johann König (König Galerie) and our auctioneer Kilian von Seldeneck (KvS Auctions) - and of course to all the generous bidders who took part in the auction despite the adverse circumstances and made this remarkable result possible."

The proceeds from the evening will benefit VBKI's charitable projects such as the refugee initiative "Einstieg zum Aufstieg", the educational project "Berliner Lesepaten" and the "Sport macht Schule" initiative. On the other hand, projects outside the VBKI will be supported, namely