Swizz Beatz shuts down Sotheby’s with epic auction for the culture

It’s about time that the world’s most prestigious art auction house, Sotheby’s, enlisted master art curator Swizz Beatz.

The collaboration has been long overdue and in a new episode of A Life Less Ordinary, the legendary producer explains his ” discovery of art, the experience of building a contemporary art collection, and his insights on curating with passion.”

Swizz’s elite artful selections will be featured along with the 300+ lots in the company’s Contemporary Curated auction, which will take place in NY on September 25.

In this exclusive video interview, it’s all about “getting over the hype point” and finally arriving in a space where he can, now, truly pick 16 of his favorite works.

While watching this clip of the urban art connoisseur, viewers will gain an understanding of the importance of collecting from the heart. Influenced by all of the graffiti in the Bronx, Swizz had to learn that collecting means more than just impressing friends.

How else do you think he was able to choose from his favorite works like African-American and Latin-American artists, including Kerry James Marshall, Richard Serra, Faith Ringgold, and Shara Hughes?

 

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#AboutLastNight: @therealswizzz took over our #NYC galleries to host a reception in celebration of the opening of the pre-sale exhibition for our Contemporary Curated auction on 25 September. Accompanied by his wife, singer and songwriter @aliciakeys, the Grammy award-winning couple and guests enjoyed the sounds of @therealdjrunna and a special viewing of works on offer by artists including Kerry James Marshall, Kehinde Wiley, Frank Stella, Robert Motherwell, Faith Ringgold, Mark Rothko and more – with a selection of highlights curated by Swizz Beatz. @bangolufsen served as the presenting partner. The exhibition is on view now in our York Ave galleries through 24 September and is free and open to the public. #SothebysContemporary 🎤🎨

A post shared by Sotheby’s (@sothebys) on Sep 21, 2018 at 3:34pm PDT

Swizz expressed to Artnet.com how he went about choosing works for the auction. He said,

“The pieces that spoke to me are really varied, which is important. I think about overall quality, how a single piece stands against a larger body of work, my instincts, and, naturally, the estimated value relative to the market…”

He added the reason why he wanted to collab with Sotheby’s,

“The synergy of the museum’s mission and how Sotheby’s managed it felt really powerful. It was a signal to me that hey, here’s a conduit that understands how the message needs to flow and be honored. I wanted to support that.”

 

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Live from @sothebys I had to Preach the facts🙏🏽 this event was epic 🙌🏽 #Preach #SothebysContemporary

A post shared by therealswizzz (@therealswizzz) on Sep 21, 2018 at 10:59am PDT

Go ahead Swizz, keep on collecting from the heart and let em’ know what it truly means to be cultured!