Bringing movement and color to the Hospital Rooms Anniversary Auction: Nengi Omuku’s Dancefloor (2026), oil on Sanyan, 90 x 125 cm. Image: Bonhams
Discover the Hospital Rooms Anniversary Auction at Bonhams, featuring contemporary artists and works supporting mental health projects across the UK.
BY KAZEEM ADELEKE, ARTCENTRON
Hospital Rooms is marking its 10th anniversary with a two-part contemporary art auction at Bonhams in London. The sale will raise funds for the charity’s work with artists and mental health communities across the UK.
The Hospital Rooms Anniversary Auction includes an online sale from September 7 to 17, 2026. The live auction will take place on September 16 at 6 p.m.
The sale features donated works by artists including Hurvin Anderson, Veronica Ryan, Mary Stephenson, Do Ho Suh, and Nengi Omuku. Proceeds will support Hospital Rooms’ Future Fund, which aims to expand artist-led projects in mental health settings.
The sale also adds a charitable dimension to a busy auction season. Artcentron’s art auction coverage tracks major sales, auction results, and developments across the international art market.
Readers can find further information about the sale through Hospital Rooms’ official anniversary auction program.
Hospital Rooms Brings Contemporary Art into Mental Health Settings
Hospital Rooms was founded in 2016. The charity works with artists, NHS trusts, and mental health communities to create artworks and creative programs within healthcare environments.
Its projects include murals, installations, sculptures, and other forms of contemporary art. Patients and healthcare staff can also take part in the creative process.
Hospital Rooms says it has reached only about 5% of NHS services after a decade of work. The charity hopes its Future Fund will help extend that reach. Hospital Rooms
The organization focuses on the environments where people receive mental healthcare. It argues that art can help create more engaging spaces and provide opportunities for creative participation.
Artcentron has also examined the relationship between art and mental health. Its coverage of Vincent van Gogh, art and mental health offers a different historical perspective on the subject.
Contemporary Artworks Lead the Anniversary Sale
The anniversary sale brings together artists working across painting, sculpture, and other contemporary practices.
The live auction features 11 artists, according to Hospital Rooms. They include Hurvin Anderson, Nengi Omuku, Victoria Cantons, Do Ho Suh, Sikelela Owen RA, Mary Stephenson, Veronica Ryan, Sarah Dwyer, Sara Berman, Nick Goss, and Caragh Thuring. Hospital Rooms
Among the highlighted works are:
- Nengi Omuku, Dancefloor—an oil-on-sanyan painting measuring 90 x 125 cm. Executed in 2026, it carries an estimate of £40,000–£45,000.
- Mary Stephenson, Gentle Houses—an oil-on-linen painting measuring 170 x 260 cm. Painted in 2026, it carries an estimate of £30,000–£35,000.
- Veronica Ryan, Cushion—a bronze sculpture measuring 43 x 36.5 cm. Executed in 2026, it carries an estimate of £30,000–£35,000.
The online-only sale features additional artists, including Aimeé Parrott, Mark Power, Anna Freeman Bentley, Hannah Brown, Valerie Asiimwe Amani, Steve Macleod, Fabian Peake, Peter Liversidge, Sara Naim, Jane Hayes Greenwood, and Xu Yang.
The auction sits within a wider contemporary art market that continues to attract collectors. Artcentron’s contemporary art auction coverage provides additional reporting on major sales and market developments.
Auction Proceeds Will Support Hospital Rooms’ Future Fund
Hospital Rooms will direct proceeds from the sale to its Future Fund. The fund supports artist-led projects and creative programs in mental health settings. Hospital Rooms says it wants the initiative to help the charity reach more communities and transform more spaces through art.
The fundraising campaign comes as the charity begins its second decade. It gives collectors an opportunity to acquire contemporary art while supporting a program focused on mental health environments.
The model also connects the auction to a longer history of charitable art sales. ArtCentron has previously covered Bonhams auctions and charitable art sales, including auctions where art has helped raise funds for broader causes.
Victoria Miro Hosted the Anniversary Exhibition
The auction forms part of Hospital Rooms’ wider 10th-anniversary program. The charity presented Host|Guest: a decade of art, care, and collaboration at Victoria Miro in London from September 3 to 12, 2026. Additionally, the exhibition brought artworks created for mental health settings into a public gallery.
The exhibition featured more than 40 artists across the program. Among them were Lonnie Holley, Alvin Kofi, Joy Labinjo, Mohammed Imran Khan, Xavier Laurent Leopold, and Boo Saville.
Victoria Miro’s official exhibition listing provides additional information about Host|Guest.
The exhibition gave visitors access to works that are usually displayed inside mental health settings. Hospital Rooms says many of these works are rarely seen outside hospital environments.
Why the Hospital Rooms auction matters
The anniversary sale links contemporary art fundraising with the environments used for mental healthcare. Hospital Rooms has spent the past decade developing projects with artists and mental health communities. The charity now wants to use the Future Fund to expand that work.
Its approach also raises broader questions about the role of creative activity in healthcare environments. However, claims about the clinical effects of individual artworks should remain separate from Hospital Rooms’ broader case for more engaging mental health spaces.
For collectors, the auction offers a chance to acquire contemporary art while supporting the charity’s next phase of work.
What Happens Next?
The online Hospital Rooms Anniversary Auction runs until September 17, 2026. The live sale takes place at Bonhams in London on September 16 from 6 p.m. The final proceeds will determine how much funding the anniversary sale generates for Hospital Rooms’ next phase.
The charity enters its second decade with plans to expand its reach. Its Future Fund is intended to help bring more artists and creative programs into mental health settings across the UK.
For Hospital Rooms, the anniversary marks both a decade of work and the start of its next fundraising phase.