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Meet 5 Artists Supporting the Norton Museum of Art
Marc Dennis, Kennedy Yanko, Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A), Miquel Barceló, and Federico Uribe speak about their work in advance of the Norton Museum of Art’s benefit auction hosted by Sotheby’s.
T he Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach is South Florida’s oldest art museum, with more than eight thousand works across five curatorial departments: American, European, Chinese, Contemporary Art, and Photography. For the last three years, Sotheby’s has been honored to host the museum’s annual benefit auction, whose proceeds support the Norton’s curatorial and exhibition program, its commitment to supporting emerging artists, and diversity initiatives.
This year, work from 45 different artists is for sale, including West Palm Beach (Postcards from Nowhere), a print by Vik Muniz, Turbo Tears, a lithograph by Ed Ruscha, and Mama Study 40, a monotype by Rita Ackermann. Other exceptional works included in the benefit auction come from leading artists such as Antony Gormley, Joel Mesler, María Berrío, FriendsWithYou, Julian Lethbridge, Richard Misrach, and many others. The complete series is currently on view at the Norton before the online auction on 11 April.
In advance of the auction, we spoke with Marc Dennis, Kennedy Yanko, Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A), Miquel Barceló, and Federico Uribe about their work.
Marc Dennis
If you could own just one work of art — any work! — what would it be and why?
Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne, from 1523, at the National Gallery in London. I’d love to wake up and go to sleep to this painting. If art can be sexy, this painting is it.
What fuels you in the studio?
Inspiration and my love for my daughter and son. And good coffee!
What food or drink pairs well with your art?
I love this question. Bourbon or an extra smoky mezcal or a bold Cabernet Sauvignon would pair nicely. As for food, any good BBQ works. Maybe lasagna and pizza too. I can’t reject the idea of a good matzo ball soup either.
What is an artist’s greatest responsibility?
My responsibilities are to inspire and entertain viewers, as well as myself.
What is the most memorable experience you’ve had at a museum?
Back in 2016 I was in Munich and arrived at the Alte Pinakothek with only twenty minutes before closing, but the guards allowed me to remain for an extra twenty minutes after the museum closed! They viewed Rubens’s paintings with me. It was bizarre. We had a very sincere conversation about the Holocaust. I will never forget that experience.
What art will people be talking about next year?
Whatever moves them. And whatever breaks auction records probably.
How can collectors best support artists?
Buy their art. Talk about their art. Share and show their art.
Kennedy Yanko
If you could own just one work of art — any work! — what would it be and why?
I would love a painting from Robert Colescott. He’s one of the most interesting painters.
What fuels you in the studio?
Weed and “freedom.”
What food or drink pairs well with your art?
A master cleanse.
What is an artist’s greatest responsibility?
An artist’s greatest responsibility is to find their truth and allow that truth to live.
SK 19
Estimate: 25,000 – 35,000 USD
What is the most memorable experience you’ve had at a museum?
When I was a child there was a large installation of glass work by Anselm Kiefer at the St. Louis Art Museum, and I remember seeing every little piece of glass. There must’ve been a million little pieces. A museum attendant told me that there was a map of where to place every one.
What art will people be talking about next year?
I don’t know what we’re going to see, but there’ll be a lot more Surrealism and escapist quality that visually captures all of history and the future. They’ll be seeing a lot more storms from me.
How can collectors best support artists?
By asking artists exactly what they need. And to trust their art and to believe in art.
Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A.)
If you could own just one work of art — any work! — what would it be and why?
Any work by Egon Schiele.
What fuels you in the studio?
My work and a great playlist.
What food or drink pairs well with your art?
Passionfruit juice and mushroom salad — shiitake and lion’s mane.
Surround Me With Your Love #2
Estimate: 50,000 – 70,000 USD
What is an artist’s greatest responsibility?
To be true to themselves and to share their vision with the world. My mission is to extend an invitation to look and in so doing to open up channels of communication that hopefully will show our connectivity as one race. We are all one. Raising awareness, expanding consciousness, and ultimately inspiring to let go of wall building. Let the love fill you in. Love is the ultimate tool to heal, recover, and rebuild our world and ourselves. It’s our disconnection with this ultimate truth that causes all the pain and suffering around us. Let your truth come out unabashedly. It’s freedom.
What is the most memorable experience you’ve had at a museum?
The first time I went to an American museum, I was very, very, young and I saw Van Gogh’s Starry Night at MoMA. I couldn’t believe that it was actually there. I was frozen. It took me a long time to get close to it. I got emotional. It was quite a moment.
What art will people be talking about next year?
Art that inspires, opens your heart, challenges your mind, and elevates your spirit.
How can collectors best support artists?
Buying their work.
Miquel Barceló
What fuels you in the studio?
My paintings. And a long, never-ending conversation with the deceased and legions of yet-to-be born.
What food or drink pairs well with your art?
Wine and olives c’est pas mal. Fresh water too.
What is an artist’s greatest responsibility?
Trouble. Disorder produces trouble, and trouble produces order.
What is the most memorable experience you’ve had at a museum?
More than ten years ago, the Louvre showed my work “The Divine Comedy.” I spent a full night alone in the museum, walking everywhere like Belphegor.
How can collectors best support artists?
Collecting.
Federico Uribe
If you could own just one work of art — any work! — what would it be and why?
One of Theo Jansen’s “Animals,” because they have un eco of life, which is what poetry tries to do.
What fuels you in the studio?
Me. For better or worse, I was born with lots of energy.
What food or drink pairs well with your art?
Salad.
What is an artist’s greatest responsibility?
Knowing that your voice is listened to.
What is the most memorable experience you’ve had at a museum?
I was very impressed when I saw Guernica for the first time.
What art will people be talking about next year?
War.
How can collectors best support artists?
Buying their work for a fair price.
![View 1 of Lot 13: UNTITLED [AMARYLLIS]](https://sothebys-com.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/75a90d3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4016x4016+0+0/resize/330x330!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsothebys-md.brightspotcdn.com%2F84%2F5a%2Ff43e94b74ed7bd4afb2b43ab387e%2Fmaplethorperobert.jpg)
