Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The Grand Charity Auction at the Orangery of the King John III Palace Museum in Wilanów attracted the attention of not only art lovers, but also notable figures such as First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda. The event, organised by the OmenaArt Foundation under the chairmanship of Omena Mensah, brought together outstanding works of art and objects of luxury design to raise funds to support education and charitable initiatives for children and young people from various corners of the world.
The exhibition ran for five weeks, concluding on 25 June, giving visitors the opportunity to admire works by some of the best Polish and international artists. A remarkable highlight was the monumental sculpture Reina Mariana, the work of Spanish artist Manolo Valdés, which was presented for the first time in Poland. In addition, works by Chun Kwang Young, a well-known Korean artist, were on display.
During the auction of outstanding works of art, sculptures, paintings and luxury items, an impressive sum of twenty-eight and a half million zloty was raised. The entire amount raised during the auction will go to support education and charity initiatives for children in need. During the visit to the Orangery of the Wilanów Palace, Agata Kornhauser-Duda and the initiator of the event, Omena Mensah, discussed issues concerning education, psychological support and professional activation for children and young people from Ukraine, Ghana and Polish orphanages.
The First Lady expressed her commitment to helping Ukrainian refugees, especially in vocational activation. To this end, Agata Kornhauser-Duda and the President of the Omena Foundation initiated an intensive Polish language learning programme for adults. The first edition of the course, aimed at 60 ladies, enabled them to reach the A1 level. This year saw the launch of the second edition for beginners, and the creation of a continuation group at B1 level. Each course provides 80 lesson hours and classes are held daily from Monday to Friday.