Sean Scully says his membership of London's Royal Academy of Arts is the artistic equivalent of playing for a top soccer team.
The painter, who grew up in the city, has donated a $1 million painting to be sold with nine other works at Sotheby's next month to raise money for the institution of which he is a member.
He said: "The original idea was to foster a sense of community so that the quality of the artwork would be raised by playing together, as happens in the Premier League. I would say that this idealism at its core has a very strong emotional impact on me, so naturally I'm compelled to help when I can."
He said his painting, inspired by the time he spent living in the New York state hamlet of Tappen, "has a lot of soul in it".
Proceeds from the sale, which also includes work by Jeff Koons, Wolfgang Tillmans and Mimmo Paladino, will help fund its three-year, free-tuition postgraduate program as well as exhibitions and its collection.