> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://hyperallergic.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# 'Orgy of the Rich' Protest Hits Sotheby's
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/orgy-of-the-rich-protest-sothebys/
- Published: 2011-02-16T23:38:31.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T15:37:42.000Z
- Description: British news sources are reporting that nearly a dozen protesters "set off alarms and threw fake £50 notes in the air at Sotheby's before unfurling a large banner bearing the words 'orgy of the rich.'" Another protest outside staged a mock auction of public workers. The actions were in response to t
- Author: Hrag Vartanian
- Tags: News, #image-position-hidden, Auctions, Funding, money, Protest, Sotheby's, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-11-17 09:23 (2009-2011)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2011/02/demo_415.jpg)

An "Orgy for the Rich" banner disrupts the Sotheby's contemporary art sale in London. (image via artsagainstcuts.wordpress.com)

British news sources are reporting that yesterday [nearly a dozen](http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23923769-protesters-15-minutes-of-fame-at-warhol-auction.do?ref=hyperallergic.com) protesters “set off alarms and threw fake £50 notes in the air at [Sotheby’s](http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/related-2290-sothebys-holdings-inc.do?ref=hyperallergic.com) \[contemporary art auction\] before unfurling a large banner bearing the words ‘orgy of the rich.'”

The protest apparently started with the sound of moaning and orgasm-like sounds as Andy Warhol’s Nine Multicolored Marilyns was unveiled — *our question is, was it a critique of Warhol or coincidence?*

While the indoor protesters were evicted, another group of protesters outside the building in New Bond Street had a [mock](http://www.demotix.com/news/591960/arts-against-cuts-hold-mock-auction-over-cuts-outside-sothebys?ref=hyperallergic.com) [auction](http://www.flickr.com/photos/jgourley/5449583864/?ref=hyperallergic.com) of public services workers and held signs that “1 Warhol = 222 tuitions” and “I Like Money on the Wall,” which included one of Warhol’s well-known dollar sign paintings.

The protesters belonged to a group named [Arts Against Cuts](http://artsagainstcuts.wordpress.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com), which consists of a group of artists and students protesting [the UK government’s plans for massive cuts to public services and the arts in the UK](https://hyperallergic.com/uk-arts-funding-cuts/).

The [best quote](http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23923769-protesters-15-minutes-of-fame-at-warhol-auction.do?ref=hyperallergic.com) comes from Belgian collector Mark Vanmoerkerke, who said the auction house took the interruption in stride:

> It’s fun to see people stand up for what they believe in. An orgy of the rich? They’re not exactly wrong.

Well, that’s certainly self-aware. The strangest aspect of the indoor protest video is the reaction of the audience and Sotheby’s staff, all of whom almost appeared to enjoy the interruption — *perhaps they thought it was performance art?* Kind of, it seems … as [Souren Melikian reported](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/arts/17iht-Melik17.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) in the *New York Times*:

> If this was a happening, as I overheard another dealer saying in jest, it was too close to the bone to feel like a joke.

Art Market Views [reports](http://lindsaypollock.com/news/sothebys-london-raises-71m-at-orgy-of-the-rich/?ref=hyperallergic.com) that the “unusually eventful proceedings achieved a robust $71.1 million (£44.4 million).”

A [video](http://www.youtube.com/embed/sKtznT4kEFY?ref=hyperallergic.com) of the indoor protest:

A [video](http://www.youtube.com/embed/qlldrVdnLi8?ref=hyperallergic.com) of the outdoor public slave servant auction protest:

*Hat tip Xylo*