Four specially created works by renowned abstractionist Justin Tiny Nuyda sold for P7.75 million during Salcedo Auctions’ recent “Important Philippine Art” auction recently at NEX Tower in Makati.

Nuyda, diagnosed with cancer last year, chose to donate proceeds of the sale to the Kythe Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life of young “cancer warriors” and children battling chronic illnesses.

Nuyda named the paintings after the four doctors who treated him.

He said he was very grateful for the over five decades he had been give to pursue his passion for art and he wished “to pay it forward by providing the same hope to children who are going to the same struggles he did (as a cancer patient).”

“We are very grateful to Mr. Nuyda for allowing us to be a part of such a noble endeavor,” Salcedo Auctions managing director Victor Silvino said. “It’s a wonderful testament to the power of art to uplift people’s quality of life in many different ways.”The sale was made possible with the help of online donation portal, “Bid for the Future,” a social enterprise established by high-school student Joaquin Lerma.

Lerma said he was glad to help facilitate the bidding through his online portal.

“Justin Nuyda wanted to ensure that children don’t go through what he has experienced during his cancer treatment,” he explained. “His artworks are dedicated to the doctors that are helping him on his path to recovery. The abstracted landscapes reflect his memory of places in terms of their vivid colors. Kythe Foundation was chosen because it helps more than 10,000 children with cancer annually.”—CONTRIBUTED INQ