Ken to boost war chest with £35,000 art auction

Contemporary painters and sculptors including Banksy, Richard Hamilton, Mona Hatoum and Marc Quinn have donated pieces to the Mayor.

Those with work going under the hammer include two former Turner Prize winners - Antony Gormley and Jeremy Deller - as well as three artists who are competing for their work to go on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.

Mr Livingstone, who has widespread support among the capital's artistic community, is expected to attend the event at the Aquarium Gallery in Farringdon this week and several of the artists could also turn up.

It will be substantially more glamorous than his fund-raising events to date, which have included a £20-a-head fish-and-chip dinner with live entertainment.

Mr Livingstone said: "Many of the artists who are making London a world leader in the field of visual arts have made a practical contribution to keep London moving forward by contributing to this auction.

"The use of the prominent fourth plinth on Trafalgar Square for a programme of public art, which I am committed to retaining, is one example of how contemporary art can form part of our city's cultural life.

"London's artists are among our great assets and I am grateful for the support of so many of them to help in this election campaign."

The website for the auction, www. artbid4ken.org.uk, estimates that two of the works - Gormley's Little Clearing 3 and Jo Wonder's Heartbeat - will go for £5,000 each, while Colin McMaster's Nude #4 (Marlene) should raise £4,000.

However, bidders could pick up original artworks for as little as a few hundred pounds - a silver bullet by Tracey Moberly in support of a gun amnesty could go for about £100 while a signed poster by Richard Hamilton which was designed as part of the successful free museums campaign could reach £200.

Many of the donated works will raise eyebrows with their political messages.

Photographers Peter Kennard and Cat Picton Phillipps have donated a print of a grinning Tony Blair snapping himself on his mobile phone while Iraq burns in the background and one of Gordon Brown walking down the steps of No10 onto the proposed third runway at Heathrow.

Jamie Reid, who provided iconic designs for The Sex Pistols, has donated a print called Up They Rise, which features revolutionary rhetoric superimposed over Eugene Delacroix's Liberty Leading The People, while Peter Kalkhof has contributed Russian Icon, a painting of a communist star.

Mr Livingstone's campaign team are aiming to raise about £1 million for his re-election campaign. Tory Boris Johnson has already raised £356,000 towards his £1.2 million target and the Lib-Dems' Brian Paddick wants to raise £150,000 and can count on the support of multi-millionaire singer Sir Elton John. The auction takes place at 7pm on Thursday at The Aquarium Gallery, 63 Farringdon Road. Bidders should register at www.artbid4ken.org.uk.