Thames Valley Deals Awards auction of Ukraine painting raises £10k

An oil painting by renowned English artist Paul Robinson has raised £10,000 in an auction held at the Thames Valley Deal Awards.

The ‘Ukraine’ painting, which was commissioned by The Business Magazine, depicts a family reaching out for safety while behind them Ukrainian sunflowers stand tall, defiant against the looming threat of Russian aggression.

The winning bidder for the 30x30 oil on canvas painting prefers to remain confidential.

All proceeds from the auction will go directly to the Red Cross’ Disaster Emergency Committee Relief Fund in support of their response to Europe’s largest humanitarian crisis in a generation.

A spokesperson for the Red Cross said: "We are extremely grateful for the incredible donation of £10,000 to our Ukraine Appeal, as well as to The Business Magazine and Paul Robinson for their role in this fantastic fundraiser.

"Over 8 months since the conflict in Ukraine escalated, over 10 million people have fled the country and millions who remain do not have a safe place to call home. Red Cross teams across the world are working both in Ukraine and in refugee-hosting countries to support those affected by the conflict.

"In just 6 months, we helped approximately 8 million people to get improved access to clean water, provided vital healthcare to over 700,000 people, and gave out cash assistance totalling approximately £56 million to over 600,000 people, to give a few examples of our work.

"This donation will go a long way towards enabling us to continue delivering this vital support to people in crisis."

If you’d like to find out more about the appeal and donate today, visit https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-crisis-appeal

Helen Lamb, director of The Brian Sinfield Gallery and acclaimed British artist Paul Robinson would like to thank The Business Magazine for their invitation to the Thames Valley Deals Awards.

In a statement, they said: “It was an honour to witness the live auction of the painting donated by Paul in order to raise money for the Ukrainian people.  After an exciting bidding war between two companies, we were absolutely delighted that the painting raised a huge £10,000 for the charity. 

“An artist always finds it challenging painting a commission, especially when the narrative is so important, but Paul got it just right.  His painting is a message of hope, beautifully painted in his unique recognisable style in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.” 

Paul has also written a poem to accompany the painting:

A million golden sunflowers,
Rise joyous, proud, and tall.
A field of hope,
Of all the love,
Of family, once again whole.
And when the storm clouds have receded,
And the sun can shine once more,
The sunflowers will rise defiant,
No less tarnished by the war.

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