Éric Cantona auctions his customized Rolls-Royce for charity

Table of Contents
Manchester United legend Éric Cantona has helped raise £110,000 for charity when his graffiti-daubed Rolls-Royce went under the hammer at an auction on Tuesday in Paris.

Rolls-Royce car owned by football great Éric Cantona is displayed at the Artcurial auction house
Rolls-Royce car owned by football great Éric Cantona is displayed at the Artcurial auction house
Rolls-Royce car owned by football great Éric Cantona is displayed at the Artcurial auction house

Photo: caradisiac.com

Last November, the iconic former French footballer invited world-famous New York street-artist JonOne to cover his 1984 Rolls-Royce Corniche in graffiti.

With the luxury model thoroughly tagged by the American artist, Cantona handed the vehicle over to the Fondation Abbe Pierre, a French housing charity which counts the 46-year-old among its celebrity patrons.

The reborn work of modern art had been on display at Artcurial auction house near the Champs Elysée before being auctioned on Tuesday afternoon, along with other contemporary urban artworks.

A bidding war broke out and the 1984 convertible went for more than twice the £50,000 that a typical Corniche of its age would make.

"It was just magnificent. We're so happy with today's results," Armelle Maquin, a spokeswoman for the Artcurial, told The Local.

In an interview with French weekly Voici, Cantona, for his part, said: "It's the ultimate symbol of wealth, and now it's been associated with a symbol of poverty, by a true street artist."

Don't forget to join us on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram