MIAMI, 2 December 2019 – The House of Rolls-Royce today revealed images of a Bespoke Red Phantom, commissioned to benefit (RED), the global charity and its fight to end AIDS. First sketches of the red-themed creation were revealed by the world’s leading luxury manufacturer seven months ago at the Sotheby’s Galleries in New York City. The Bespoke Phantom will be unveiled at a gala event at the One Thousand Museum in Miami, on Wednesday 4 December, as Sotheby’s and RM Sotheby’s launch an exclusive online auction, which will run until 13 December 2019 on sothebys.com.  Proceeds from the auction, after costs, will benefit (RED)’s fight to end AIDS.

The successful bidder will have the unique opportunity to collaborate with one of the world’s most respected contemporary artists, Mickalene Thomas. The artist will create a custom wrap for the exterior of the motor car, based on an original work of art inspired by the Red Phantom for the collector. When the digital hammer falls, the ultimate bidder will be the proud owner of the Red Phantom, a personalized artwork by Ms. Thomas and the honor of having supported (RED) in its mission.

“It is an honor and privilege to present this one of a kind commission created at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England,” commented Martin Fritsches, President and CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Americas. “Every member of our team is deeply inspired by this world-class commission, and equally by the importance of the cause that it was created to support - (RED)’s fight to end AIDS.  We are proud to partner with Mickalene Thomas, Sotheby’s and RM Sotheby’s to achieve an outstanding result from this auction.”

Jennifer Lotito, Chief Operating Officer, (RED), commented, "We’re so grateful to Rolls-Royce for donating profits from the Red Phantom to help with the fight to end AIDS. We need all forces mobilized against this pandemic which is the leading cause of death among young women. We also want to thank Mickalene Thomas for her creative genius and support of this auction to help the Global Fund eradicate AIDS."

I am honored to collaborate with such an esteemed group of partners as (RED), Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Sotheby’s and RM Sotheby’s in the global fight to end AIDS. To be able to share my creative vision in a way that impacts such a noble cause feels powerful and inspiring to me and I am sure to the ultimate winning bidder who is coming together with these amazing organizations to change the world,” said Mickalene Thomas.  

Phantom’s exterior hue features a Bespoke finish of Crystal over Magma Red. Particles of crystal captured in the final layers of finish creating a luxurious luminescence. The handcrafted Bespoke leather interior in Brilliant Arctic White is offset by bright Mugello Red highlights overseen by the iconic and colorful Mugello Red ‘Shooting Starlight Headliner.’ Housed within a single-piece glass fascia and extending across the instrument panel, the Gallery design, ‘Red Regatta Sails,’ is constructed of Bespoke Mugello Red leather.

Please visit sothebys.com from 4-13 December to bid on this unique Phantom.

About (RED)®
(RED) was founded in 2006 by Bono and Bobby Shriver to engage businesses and people in the fight against AIDS. (RED) partners with the world’s most iconic brands that contribute proceeds from (RED)-branded goods and services to the Global Fund.

To date, (RED) has generated more than $600 million for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to support HIV/AIDS grants in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia. 100 percent of that money goes to work on the ground – no overhead is taken. Global Fund grants that (RED) supports have impacted over 140 million people with prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services. For more information, please see www.red.org.

About The Global Fund
The Global Fund is a partnership designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics. As an international organization, the Global Fund mobilizes and invests more than US$4 billion a year to support programs run by local experts in more than 100 countries. In partnership with governments, civil society, technical agencies, the private sector and people affected by the diseases, we are challenging barriers and embracing innovation.

About Mickalene Thomas
Mickalene Thomas (b. 1971, Camden, New Jersey) is best known for her elaborate paintings composed of rhinestones, acrylic and enamel. She makes paintings, collages, photography, video, and installations that draw on art history and popular culture to create a contemporary vision of female sexuality, beauty, and power. Blurring the distinction between object and subject, concrete and abstract, real and imaginary, Thomas constructs complex portraits, landscapes, and interiors in order to examine how identity, gender, and sense-of-self are informed by the ways in which women are represented in art and popular culture.

Thomas holds an MFA from Yale University (2002) and a BFA from Pratt Institute (2000). She has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions around the world, including at the Aspen Art Museum; The Bass, Miami; Brooklyn Museum; Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans; Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis; Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art; L’Ecole des Beaux Arts, Monaco; and Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus. Thomas also has an immersive two-story installation on view at the Baltimore Museum of Art through May 2021.