What is Artists for Climate Action? And how is it supporting a more liveable planet?

This October marks the return of the ground-breaking partnership between iconic art institution Christie’s and Artists for Climate Action, a collaboration between the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) and environmental law charity ClientEarth. 

This dedicated fundraising initiative uses the cultural reach and commercial power of the visual arts to fund tangible, systemic actions for the planet.

For the October 2026 London sales, South African artist Igshaan Adams and Brazil-based contemporary painter Patricia Leite have each donated extraordinary pieces of work to be sold at Christie’s during Frieze London in benefit of Artists for Climate Action. 

“Art creates an emotional bridge to an issue that can otherwise feel overly technical or politically charged,” says Heath Lowndes, co-founder of the project. “We’re building an ongoing network of artists, galleries and collectors using their market influence for concrete climate action.”

Need to know

This is not the first activity for Artists for Climate Action – it builds on the success of the 2021-2023 Artists for ClientEarth series, which saw involvement from iconic artists including Cecily Brown, Rashid Johnson, Antony Gormley, Beatriz Milhazes and Xie Nanxing.

What do the proceeds go towards? The funds generated though these auctions, private sales and editions direct vital funding to two complimentary areas. 

Systemic reform within the art industry. It accelerates the work of the Gallery Climate Coalition to de-carbonise the sector across logistics, international transit, packaging and energy use.

Frontline legal accountability: it helps power ClientEarth’s high-impact litigation to hold governments and corporations legally accountable for environmental protection.

The initiative also reflects Christie’s ongoing operational commitment to reducing emissions across shipping, materials, facilities and supply chain management.

More on Artists for Climate Action in 2026

This October’s activity includes visionary work from two exceptional artists. Here’s what to expect: 

Inside the partnership

So, where does the Artists for Climate Action partnership come from and how is it funding tangible change that benefits everyone? Here, Heath Lowndes (director and co-founder, Gallery Climate Coalition) and Isla Angus (Head of Art & Culture at ClientEarth) break it down. 

How did Artists for Climate Action come about?

Heath: We’ve shared an office space with ClientEarth for years. Back in 2021, we teamed up on a similar auction model at Christie’s – with artists like Cecily Brown, Rashid Johnson and Antony Gormley – raising over $6 million [£4.5M+] for ClientEarth's legal work. Sharing space meant we got to know the lawyers holding fossil fuel giants and polluters accountable first-hand. It made the impact visceral. Following that success, we wanted to build a long-term model that funded both organisations. We soft-launched during New York Climate Week with a work by Suzanne Jackson via Ortuzar Projects, and now we’re back with Christie’s, who have done serious work de-carbonising their own operations.

Isla: For us, it began when Matthew Slotover introduced us to Thomas Dane and Victoria Siddall, co-founders of Gallery Climate Coalition. They arrived like fairy godparents – a tiny NGO with monumental art-world influence. Bringing a grassroots charity, an ambitious coalition and an institutional giant like Christie's into one room is rare, but both GCC and ClientEarth started from a shared premise: one person or organisation alone can only do so much; collective action changes systems. When Frances Morris suggested the name Artists for Climate Action, we loved that it stated “climate” unapologetically. We're often told climate has become too politically divisive to fund. That’s precisely why we must keep talking about it.

Why is it vital for artists to speak out on the climate emergency?

Heath: GCC has over 2,250 members from 65 countries representing a network of over 25,000 arts professionals, and artists make up a large proportion of that. Art creates an emotional bridge to an issue that can otherwise feel overly technical or politically charged. But cultural advocacy needs credibility behind it. Art doesn’t happen in a vacuum – it’s made, created, shipped, insured and exhibited across an interdependent supply chain. Our job at GCC is to decarbonise that ecosystem so the community leads by example.

Isla: Artists constantly ask us: "What can I do as just one person?" But their cultural visibility carries immense weight. When figures like Patricia Leite and Igshaan Adams stand up, their galleries and collectors follow. Importantly, neither artist had to create didactic "climate art" – donating their work is itself a powerful statement. The fossil fuel lobby spends an estimated $7 billion a year on PR, advertising and cultural sponsorships to control the narrative. Artists help tell a much better story: caring about our living world isn't radical or niche – it's the most normal, essential thing in the world.

What’s the future? Will this initiative continue beyond this autumn's sales?

Heath: Absolutely. The goal is momentum, not just an annual moment. While Christie’s auctions are our flagship platform, we are actively running private sales, exploring limited editions and planning future public programming. We’re building an ongoing network of artists, galleries and collectors using their market influence for concrete climate action.

Isla: Exactly. We want this to broaden across the cultural landscape. Nobody has to solve the climate crisis single-handedly, but every gallery, artist and collector has a role to play.

Finally, what’s the ultimate goal of the project?

Heath: There are three prongs: raise funds, raise awareness and mobilise the visual arts. What makes this model unique is dual-scale impact: every pound raised drives internal, systemic decarbonisation through GCC and external, legally enforced accountability through ClientEarth. We want the art sector to model what a thriving, sustainable creative economy looks like within planetary boundaries.

Isla: Culture is the water we swim in – it dictates what society values, notices and considers possible. Pairing that soft cultural power with hard legal enforcement makes this collaboration distinct. It moves climate action out of abstraction and into everyday practice.

Get involved?

Artists for Climate Action is an opportunity for artists, galleries and collectors to inspire, lead and support. By joining, you’ll become part of an international movement, declaring to the world that our shared future is worth protecting.

Those artists who get involved with the initiative join a growing community of artists using their practice to create measurable climate impact.

Galleries play a vital role – they facilitate donations, exhibitions and sales that help raise funds while inspiring artists and collectors to take part.

And for collectors it’s a unique and changemaking opportunity: they can access exceptional works by leading contemporary artists, taking meaningful climate action through every acquisition.

Discover more about how ClientEarth is working with the creative industries to drive climate action on our Music & Culture page.