Leonardo DiCaprio helped raise $39 million as a guest auctioneer at Christie’s, and all the proceeds will go to the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation which caters towards environmental issues.
Organizers hoped to raise $18 million, so they more than surpassed that goal when they sold art work from over 30 living artists.
“Nature is abundant and it is resilient, but we have to take action now to protect our planet before it’s too late,” DiCaprio said in a statement, The Telegraph reports. Christie’s even called the event “the most important charity action ever.”
Art buyers who came out, including celebrities like Salma Hayek and Bradley Cooper, came from 33 countries.
DiCaprio said at the start of the auction, “We have to start looking at the planet in the same way we look at fine art as something of value that we can protect and preserve for our children and our grandchildren,” adding, “I want you to bid as if the fate of the planet depends on us,” Forbes reports.
There were nine works of art that sold for more than $1 million, and 13 world auction records were broken. DiCaprio helped immensely, spending the days leading up to the auction calling prospective buyers and asking for donations from artists.
The proceeds will help global conservation projects, which DiCaprio says only has 2 percent of global financial support right now.