AN auction of statues has taken the total raised for charity by Gromit Unleashed 3 to £2 million.
Thousands of families spent summer weekends and holidays tracking down the 53 uniquely decorated sculptures of characters from Aardman Animations’ Wallace & Gromit films on the trail, organised by the Grand Appeal for Bristol Children’s Hospital.
The Gromit, Wallace, Feathers McGraw and Norbot robot gnome characters went on display in a pavilion at the Mall, Cribbs Causeway in September before going under the hammer in October at the same venue.
Auctioneer Helena Newman, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, presided as bidders from around the world, both in the pavilion and online, battled to own one of the sculptures.
Among the highlights was the sale of Darth McGraw, a Feathers statue dressed as Darth Vader, which sold for £70,000.
Mirror-tiled Gromit Bobby Dazzler sold for £60,000, while a framed painting of Feathers, titled Bird with a Diamond Earring, made £60,000.
Among the statues which spent the summer near Downend, Gromit Mowgli, which was on display at the Rose & Crown in Pucklechurch, sold for £26,000.
Norbot Sweet & Tidy, which was stationed at Warmley Waiting Room on the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, went for £29,000 and Kingswood Park’s Norbot statue, Starcatcher, sold for £18,000.
Austentatious, a Gromit featuring a live hedge grown by Agrumi Topiary that spent the summer at the Kendleshire golf club in Coalpit Heath, made £20,000.
Rosebud, a Gromit which stood outside estate agent AJ Homes in Flaxpits Lane, Winterbourne, went under the hammer for £26,000.
Fisherman’s Friend, a statue of Wallace on a bench at the West Country Water Park in Trench Lane, Frampton Cotterell, sold for £32,000.
Two Gromits in Eastville – Marigold, which was hosted by Ikea, and Walk the Lime, which stood inside Wai Yee Hong Chinese supermarket in Eastgate Road – sold for £20,000 each.
Added to the sale was an authenticated print of a Banksy artwork, Toxic Mary, which was donated to the charity by a long-term benefactor, and raised £19,000.
Helena said: “It was an honour to host such an extraordinary auction, bringing together the creative genius of some of the most iconic names in art, film, music and literature, in partnership with Aardman.”
Money raised from Gromit Unleashed 3 will support the Grand Appeal’s work at Bristol Children’s Hospital and the neonatal intensive care unit at St Michael’s Hospital, including building of the UK’s first dedicated ‘Patient Hotel’, arts, music and play programmes, equipment, research and accommodation for families.
Appeal director Nicola Masters said: “To see these much-loved characters go under the hammer and raise such an astonishing amount is truly humbling. We are so grateful to every bidder, sponsor, artist and supporter who made this possible. These funds will make a life-changing difference for sick children and babies cared for at Bristol Children’s Hospital and St Michael’s Hospital.”
The Grand Appeal and Aardman are celebrating 30 years of Wallace & Gromit spearheading their fundraising this year.
Since 1995, the Grand Appeal has raised £90 million.