London Games Art Exhibition puts Batman, Lara Croft and Moshi Monsters on auction.

The entire collection from Ukie’s London Games Festival Art Exhibition has today begun raising tens of thousands of pounds for charity SpecialEffect, as the first batch of exhibits are auctioned online at www.londongamesart.com. The exhibition – which was the centrepiece of the month-long London Games Festival 2012 funded by Ukie – saw over 100 pieces of art displayed at London’s City Hall, in an event supported by the Mayor of London.

Rare and never-before-seen pieces from games such as Batman: Arkham City from London-based developer Rocksteady Studios were hung proudly beside pieces from legendary artists such as Yuji Uekawa and Yoji Shinkawa in an exhibition which celebrated the culture of videogames and London’s contribution to it.

All proceeds from the sale will be given in full to SpecialEffect, a unique charity doing whatever it takes to help everyone with disabilities to have a better quality of life through games, art and technology.

The collection will be made available to bid on in four batches, with the first going online now, with a further three batches featuring art from the exhibition being added to the auction every Monday until the 3rd of December. Included in the initial batch are three signed pieces from Batman: Arkham City, two Fable 3 pieces signed by Peter Molyneux and the artists, a signed Metal Gear Solid ‘Raiden’ canvass, plus pieces from Tomb Raider, Dishonored, Moshi Monsters and Runescape, among many others.

“We were absolutely overwhelmed with the number of people that came to the exhibition,” says Kirsty Payne, festival director, London Games Festival. “People from all walks of life – those who played games, and those who didn’t – travelled far and wide to appreciate the phenomenal pieces of art which have been kindly donated by the industry.

“We were also immensely gratified by how everyone reacted when we showed them the work that SpecialEffect does – and we’re incredibly excited about the potential this auction has. Amazing, one-of-a-kind pieces, with all proceeds going to this amazing charity. Not only is it going to be a good Christmas for the winning bidders, but for those who benefit from SpecialEffect’s brilliant work too.” (see more about SpecialEffect here http://www.specialeffect.org.uk )

The London Games Festival, brought to you by Ukie and in association with The Guardian, ran from September 27th to October 28th and featured a diverse range of events – from massive consumer exhibitions like Eurogamer Expo and MCM Expo, to careers’ fairs and educational summits, plus business to business conferences, knowledge and networking seminars and BAFTA lectures in this sector – each celebrating interactive entertainment industry and culture.

The London Games Art auction is taking place for the next four weeks from today at www.londongamesart.com, with additional pieces of art from the exhibition being added every Monday until the 3rd of December.