NEW YORK, NY.- Artsy announced today the launch of “Julie Mehretu for Art for Justice Fund: Benefit Auction 2021.” The single-lot benefit auction, held exclusively on Artsy, will be devoted to a recently completed large-scale painting by Julie Mehretu titled Dissident Score (2019–21), estimated at $3 million to $4 million. All proceeds from the sale of the artwork will go to the Art for Justice Fund and directly benefit artists, advocates, and organizations working to end mass incarceration. Artsy’s global marketplace will also create added awareness of the Art for Justice Fund to collectors around the world. The auction will take place on Artsy from May 26th until June 10th.
Artist Julie Mehretu commented: “Mass incarceration, solitary confinement, youth imprisonment, and putting kids in prison for life without parole are sins of our society, slavery in another form. It is way past time for a collective reimagining of crime and punishment as we know it. Art for Justice has been unwavering in its commitment to support the enormous efforts to end mass incarceration and achieve abolition since its founding by Agnes Gund. I hope to contribute to these efforts and the fund with the full proceeds from the sale of my painting Dissident Score, 2019–21.
“I want to acknowledge the other artists and my colleagues in this collective effort who have also made significant contributions to the Art for Justice Fund: Mark Bradford, Nick Cave, Paula Crown, Stanley Whitney, Mark di Suvero, Jeff Koons, Titus Kaphar, and Dwayne Betts.”
The pandemic and ongoing national movement for racial justice laid bare the deeply entrenched inequities in the United States, including our carceral system. Black people are disproportionately impacted by every part of our legal system, from uneven community monitoring to receiving exaggerated sentences. In this moment, artists and advocates working together are the vanguard of radically reimagining a new way forward.
Mike Steib, CEO of Artsy, commented: “Artsy is proud to be auctioning Julie Mehretu’s artwork to raise funds and awareness for Art for Justice. Through this collaboration, we continue our pursuit of a more inclusive art world and a more just society.”
This effort is made possible thanks to a gift made by Julie Mehretu to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to be sold via auction at Artsy. We want to acknowledge Marian Goodman Gallery for its support in this endeavor. Art for Justice is able to donate all proceeds from the sale due to generous ongoing programmatic support from the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
Julie Mehretu is an American contemporary visual artist, known for her multi-layered paintings of abstracted landscapes on a large scale. Her paintings, drawings, and prints depict the cumulative effects of urban sociopolitical changes. Distinguished as one of today’s most exceptional and critical visual artists, Mehretu’s extensive practice is charged with political inquiry and exploration of key issues like migration and globalization. Mehretu is included in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020 and over two decades’ worth of her work is currently featured at the Whitney Museum.
