Photo15 Auction Unites Musicians, Photographers & Actors in Support of AIDS Monument in West Hollywood

Photographer Jonas Akerlund, “Iggy & Blondie”

By Laura Ferreiro

It’s not every day that you get to see Deborah Harry cozying up to Iggy Pop, Grace Jones hugging her favorite vinyl record, or stare into the eyes of an adoring fan through the gaze of Lenny Kravitz, but Photo15 allowed us to experience all of this and more.

Several celebrities including Kravitz, director John Waters, The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus and renowned music and fashion photographers Anton Corbijn and Herb Ritts were among the many notable names who donated striking images to Photo15, an auction of more than 80 photographs benefiting a national AIDS monument in West Hollywood.

Sharon Stone hosts the Photo15 Auction

Actress Sharon Stone hosted the event, which took place at Milk Studios in Los Angeles on October 1. The Basic Instinct star gave a moving speech before the auction began. “We’re a community, and when we judge and turn on our back on each other or turn away from anyone in need, it’s a global crisis,” she said. “Use the strength of the pain of your losses to help others in your community.”

Photographer Norman Seeff, “Robert Mapplethorpe & Patti Smith, New York 1969”

Photographer Lenny Kravitz, “Female Fan”

The benefit raised more than $300,000 for the monument, and the evening’s top seller – a haunting image of Elizabeth Taylor in Iran by Firooz Zahedi – fetched an impressive $27,000.

When it is completed, the AIDS monument will incorporate a sculptural installation with technology that will allow visitors to upload their own multimedia memorials for lost loved ones and share their own stories. It will also honor care givers and serve as a public resource for information on HIV/AIDS, informing people about prevention, research, resources and care.

Click here to support the AIDS monument project.

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