Sotheby’s is a premier art auction house that seems intent on reinventing itself for the modern age. Founded in the 1700s, the art auctions of the past are a far cry from the innovative, collaborative, and boundary-bushing endeavors that Sotheby’s has partaken in in recent years.
In 2014, Sotheby’s experienced a shift in internal management when hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb joined its board. Some art insiders point to this change as one reason the prominent auction house has refocused its efforts. Artnet News reports that Sotheby’s has begun to “bet big on the latest global market boom,” which is indicative of the influence of its more business-savvy board.
Even more recently, Sotheby’s worked towards merging its art auctioneering traditions with technology by partnering with eBay. Back in March, eBay launched a new section of its website that represented its partnership with Sotheby’s. Now, eBay will be live-streaming some of Sotheby’s auctions on its website, allowing people from around the world to bid on fine art, photography, home goods and more.
Now, in what seems to be an effort to appeal to Millennials and a more diverse audience and market, Sotheby’s has collaborated with Grammy award-winning artist Drake to present an exhibition that fuses contemporary music and art.
According to Design and Trend, “Sotheby’s gallery exhibition will explore the relationship between music and art through the perspective of the platinum-selling entertainer. Drake has developed a creative dialogue by incorporating the works of black American Contemporary artists to accompany his selection of music,” of what visitors can expect to experience at the exhibition.
The exhibition is titled I Like It Like This, and is described in part by Sotheby’s as “a celebration of influential Contemporary black American artists.” Reportedly, the music selections will include 1920s-era jazz and contemporary hip hop, and will feature works from Nick Cave, Kara Walker, Glenn Ligon, and Kehinde Wiley among other artists. The exhibition runs from April 28 through June 12, 2015 in New York.
The art world has often been criticized for its elitist nature, but perhaps the exhibition of Drake’s I Like It Like This is the first step Sotheby’s is taking towards making art more accessible to contemporary audiences.
Featured Image: via Sotheby’s.
