TAG Heuer will auction off one-of-a-kind portraits of 15 esteemed women taken by the world’s top female photographers. Proceeds from the exclusively online auction will benefit the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

The auction is a culmination of the year-long international tour of TAG Heuer’s “Strength & Beauty Embodied by Avant-Garde Women” photography exhibit. In 2006, the company joined forces with UNIFEM to bring together extraordinary female artists, authors, business leaders, and academics with renowned female photographers to create a unique collection of portraits. The collected works were unveiled in New York at a gala hosted by TAG Heuer and its brand ambassador, Uma Thurman. The exhibit then traveled to each continent.

“As a woman, I feel that it is incredibly important to fully support all efforts to combat poverty, violence, discrimination and inequality of female victims around the world,” Thurman said.

Opening bids for the 32 original “Strength & Beauty” began Monday and will run till Nov. 5. The photographs will be sold in 14 lots, each consisting of two or three portraits of an avant-garde woman as well as a limited-edition TAG Heuer ladies’ Aquaracer autographed by Thurman.

Each lot will open at $1,800 with a “Buy It Now” option that allows a bidder to end the auction at a fixed price of $3,500.

The auction will be conducted by Antiquorum. The Geneva-based auction house is selling the lots at hammer price and will not take a commission from the bidders or clients.

Established in 1976, UNIFEM is dedicated to fostering women’s empowerment and gender equality on a global scale. Its efforts in more than 100 countries have dramatically affected the lives of millions of women.

JCK