NBA’s Kevin Love partners with Sotheby’s to curate upcoming contemporary art auction in New York, with Heat star overseeing roughly $7m in photos, paintings, and sculptures

NBA star Kevin Love has curated a selection of his favorite works of art to put them up for auction in a joint collaboration with Sotheby’s, as he reveals his love of art through the world’s leading brokers of fine and decorative arts, jewelry and collectibles.

Love, 35, will curate the latest edition of Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated auction on September 28 in New York, having selected a selection of eight superlative works of art that personally resonate with his collecting vision.

The Miami Heat forward, who can also take center stage, chose a variety of media, including photography, sculpture and paintings, from expressionism, figuration to abstraction and action painting, presenting a broad vision of post-war and contemporary art .

About his personal taste in art, Love said: ‘I am fascinated by the processes of artists and what drives them: their intention and their impact. What I look for is when a piece has an important storytelling component and drives something out of me that I didn’t even know existed.

“Art is discovery,” he added, defining his collecting mantra. ‘I started collecting to fuel my ongoing search for curiosity and it has taught me to take things as they come, without fear or judgement. The more you learn, the more you realize you haven’t scratched the surface yet.”

Among the paintings at the auction is Ernie Barnes’ Club 55 painting, which is valued at $800,000 to $1.2 million.

The Alex Katz figure canoe, which was completely painted in 1947, will cost between $1 million and $1.5 million.

Love is coming off an NBA Finals series loss to the Nuggets with the Heat earlier this summer

Over the past decade, Love, who is nearing the end of his basketball career, has been inspiring to many after winning an NBA championship with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. He also earned five NBA All-Star selections and won an Olympic Games. gold medal in 2012 and a FIBA ​​World Championship in 2010.

The fifth overall pick of the 2008 NBA draft is also looking to expand his influence off the court, as he is a dedicated activist in reducing the stigma and normalizing the public conversation around mental health. Love founded an eponymous fund in 2018 to inspire people to live healthy lives while providing the tools to achieve physical and emotional wellness.

He has been awarded the EPSY Arthur Ashe Courage Award, the Child Mind Institute’s Change Maker Award, the NBA Cares Assists Award, and was a finalist for the EPSY Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award since working to promote mental health awareness .

“We want to help as many kids as possible understand that there are ways to express hardship other than verbally,” Love said of the correlation between his activism and the art world. “We encourage vulnerability through photography, creative writing, all different forms of art and music – and promote community through community.”

Artworks selected by the NBA player for Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated auction in the Big Apple include works by Ernie Barnes Club 55 painting honoring music legend Marvin Gaye. The estimated price ranges from $800,000 to $1.2 million.

Jennifer Packer’s untitled painting of a group talking heatedly will sell for $1 million to $1.5 million

Ed Ruscha’s 1993 Me Drawing of Gunpowder and Pastel will be advertised for $300,000 – $400,000

British artist Issy Wood’s 2017 self-titled canvas will retail for $120,000 – $180,000

Ed Ruscha’s 1993 Me Drawing of Gunpowder and Pastel will be advertised for $300,000 – $400,000

An untitled film still by artist Cindy Sherman will also be offered at auction for $400,000 – $600,000

Antony Gormley’s MEME LXXXVII sculpture costs the highest larger $120,000 – $180,000

One of Cy Twombly’s untitled works from 1961-63 will also be for sale, priced between $180,000 and $280,000. by Alex Katz Canoe with figurewhich was completely painted in 1947 will also be put on the market, albeit at an estimate of $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.

An untitled film still by artist Cindy Sherman from 1978 will also be auctioned for an estimated $400,000 to $600,000. Jennifer Packer’s untitled painting, of an unknown group in heated discussions around the table, will sell for between $1 million and $1.5 million, as will Antony Gormley’s. MEME LXXXVII sculpture for $100,000 – $150,000.

Finally, Ed Ruscha’s 1993 Me drawing of gunpowder and pastel on paper will be advertised for $300,000 to $400,000, while Issy Wood’s 2017 untitled canvas will market for $120,000-$180,000.

“As an avid collector and wellness activist, art has always been a gateway to expression,” Love said of the upcoming New York auction he will curate in a few weeks.

‘The ability to curate a group of works that resonate with my experience and reflect how I see the world has been an eye-opening exercise. There are many factors that contribute to the value of art, but the feeling you get from it cannot be measured.’