Highlighting a mix of established and emerging artists, the MTV RE:DEFINE art exhibition and auction returned to the Goss-Michael Foundation September 22. Created by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation to fight the speed and threat of the ongoing HIV and AIDS epidemic, MTV RE:DEFINE offered a rare opportunity for attendees to score spectacular works by the likes of Kai and Sunny, Ryan McGinniss, Michael Craig-Martin, Swoon, Juergen Teller and Gérard Rancinan.

Patrons were definitely in the mood to buy, and multiple purchases and behind-the-scenes art swapping kept the moments between bids and bites even more interesting. Arkansas-based event stylist Bartus Taylor and his partner won a piece of laser-cut currency by artist Scott Campbell, but they had already traded it with tablemates before the evening was over.

The point was less about scoring something to hang on the wall and more about supporting a cause the patrons really believed in. “Because I’m from Iberia, this is a cause very close to my heart,” Taylor said. “I know how people struggle in Africa, and I’m so lucky that it’s better to share.”

The festive yet frenetic mood of the auction was definitely moved along by the ever-charming Simon de Pury, one of the art world’s leading figures and co-founder of the auction house Phillips de Pury & Company. Not above shaming a partygoer who was getting cold feet on her bid for an Inez and Vinoodh private portrait session, his good-natured ribbing nonetheless drove the final auction total to more than a million dollars — nearly $300,000 more than last year’s charitable haul.

“I’m very happy,” said de Pury at the auction’s conclusion. “Already we have a really huge success. What MTV and Goss-Michael are doing is very formidable, and there is so much support from the artists. Marc Quinn donated one of his very best pieces! It’s so beautifully organized, and there is so much enthusiasm from everyone in Dallas.”

Other stellar attendees included Joyce and Tim Goss, Kenny Goss, Gabrielle and John de Papp, Dallas star Josh Henderson, Laura Noble, Jessica Olsson and Dirk Nowitzki, Rajan Patel, Nancy Rogers, Jesse Schroeder, and Anna-Sophia van Zweden.