“So many talented artists – a whole generation of mentors – were lost to AIDS. To know that they, and the over 100,000 other New Yorkers, are being remembered through the New York City AIDS Memorial and their public cultural and educational programs is moving. It is an honor to be donating work to support the Memorial’s future.” — Nicolas Party
The New York City AIDS Memorial was thrilled to partner with Christie’s on the most important nonprofit auction of their premiere November sales.
Unquestioning Love, with its title taken from a work generously donated by Jenny Holzer, presented an exemplary selection of contemporary artworks across two auctions — the 21st Century Evening Sale on November 9 and the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale on November 12 — and for private sale, including many fresh from the artists' studios. This charitable auction was dedicated to creating a vital and strategic fund that will help to ensure the preservation of the Memorial’s physical space in perpetuity and support and strengthen many future years of ambitious arts, cultural, and educational programs.
We are incredibly grateful for the support of the artists featured in Unquestioning Love whose generous contributions help us to reflect on our complex and powerful past and to make certain that the memories of those we’ve lost, and our shared history as New Yorkers, are never forgotten.
WITH WORKS BY
Elmgreen & Dragset
Sam Gilliam
Keith Haring
The Haas Brothers
Jim Hodges
Jenny Holzer
Shara Hughes
KAWS
Rashid Johnson
Robert Mapplethorpe
Trevor Paglen
Nicolas Party
Adam Pendleton
Ugo Rondinone
Dana Schutz
Sarah Sze
Salman Toor
Jonas Wood
Lisa Yuskavage
Nicolas Party, Landscape, 2021; Soft pastel on linen; 43 x 36 in.; Courtesy of the artist.
SOLD
Dana Schutz, Smokers, 2021; Oil on canvas; 72 x 48 in.; Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner.
SOLD
Elmgreen & Dragset, Side Effect No. 14 (Truvada, Isentress), 2015; Handblown glass, pigment, steel, wood; 25.6 x 37.8 x 16.1 in; Courtesy of the artists.
SOLD
Sam Gilliam, Untitled, 2021; Watercolor on Washi; 39 × 72 in.; Courtesy of the artist and Pace Gallery.
SOLD
Keith Haring, Icons, 1990;
Silkscreen with embossing; 21 x 25 in., Edition 163 of 250; Courtesy of the Keith Haring Foundation.
SOLD
The Haas Brothers, Biggy Stardust, 2020; Cast bronze, Yeti Mongolian purple faux fur; 100 x 32 x 23 in.; Courtesy of the artists and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen.
SOLD
Jim Hodges, and still, 2021; 24 karat gold on archival pigment print; 29.75 x 21.5 x .5 in.; Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Anthony Meier Fine Arts, Stephen Friedman Gallery, and Massimo de Carlo Gallery.
SOLD
Jenny Holzer, Truisms: Unquestioning love demonstrates largesse, 2019; Carrara White marble bench; 17 x 42 x 20 in.; Courtesy of the artist.
Available for Private Sale
Shara Hughes, Familiar Fairway Night, 2019; Oil and acrylic on canvas; 36 x 30 in.; Courtesy of the artist.
SOLD
Rashid Johnson, Untitled Anxious Bruise Drawing, 2021; Oil on cotton rag; 38 1/4 x 50 in.; Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles.
SOLD
KAWS, URGE (KUA9), 2020; Acrylic on Canvas; 36 x 30 x 1.5 in.; Courtesy of the artist.
SOLD
Robert Mapplethorpe, Flower, 1987; Gelatin silver print; 24 x 20 in., Edition 8/10, Printed 2017, Estate signed; © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, used by permission; Courtesy of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.
SOLD
Trevor Paglen, Discarded Rocket Body Approaching the Disk of the Moon (SL-8 R/B), 2012; Chromogenic print, Edition 1/5 with 2AP; 48 x 42 in.; Courtesy of the artist and Pace Gallery.
SOLD
Adam Pendleton, Untitled (Who Is Queen Collage), 2021; Collage on paper; 16 15/16 x 13 1/16 in.; Courtesy of the artist.
SOLD
Ugo Rondinone, Yellow Green Pink Mountain, 2021; Painted stone, stainless steel, pedestal; Sculpture: 63 x 14 x 12 in., Pedestal: 15.75 x 15.75 x 15.75 in.; Courtesy of the artist.
SOLD
Sarah Sze, Fast Forward, 2021; Oil paint, acrylic paint, acrylic polymers, ink, aluminum, Dibond, wood; 16 x 20 x 1.5 in.; Courtesy of the artist.
SOLD
Salman Toor, Blonde and Brunette, 2021; Charcoal, ink and acrylic on paper; 18 x 12 in.; Artwork © Salman Toor; Courtesy of the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York.
SOLD
Jonas Wood, Mini Purple Bball Orchid, 2021; Oil and acrylic on canvas; 28 x 20 in.; Artwork © Jonas Wood, Photograph: Marten Elder, Courtesy of the artist.
SOLD
Lisa Yuskavage, Mardi Gras Dude, 2014; Pastel over unique inkjet ground on rag paper; 49.75 x 44 in.; Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner.
SOLD
“The work of the New York City AIDS Memorial is necessary, as is honoring the memory of so many lost to the epidemic. I am proud to be donating this work to ensure their stories continue to be told.” — Dana Schutz
ABOUT THE NEW YORK CITY AIDS MEMORIAL:
The New York City AIDS Memorial is a sacred gathering space for both locals and visitors to remember, reflect, and renew.
Musicians Scott Thompson and Victor Caccese performing at A Village Gathering in honor of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, September 2021
Actors performing in Cusi Cram’s Novenas for a Lost Hospital produced by the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, which took place at the Memorial in summer 2018 and autumn 2019
Storytellers sharing personal stories of Long-Term HIV/AIDS Survival at REVIVAL: Suvivors’ Stories presented with the Generations Project, June 2021
It’s also a place for engaging and free educational and cultural programs funded through our Arts & Education Initiative.
Hear Me: Voices of the Epidemic was an open-space, sound-and light-based installation that ran December 1-31, 2020. Composed of poetry, speeches, music, and more that capture the history of the epidemic, visitors were safely welcomed to hear the program during the COVID-19 pandemic, accompanied by a distinctive lighting installation. The program received coverage in New York Magazine and The Guardian.
To coincide with World Pride and the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in June 2019, we presented an outdoor exhibition, Visual Impact: On Art, AIDS, & Activism, adjacent to the Memorial. It featured eight iconic works by artists, including General Idea, Keith Haring, and Catherine Opie, which represent the visual identity of AIDS resistance from the mid-1980s through today.
On World AIDS Day 2018, we launched #LightTheFight created by artist Jenny Holzer, where five trucks emblazoned with large LED billboards drove through New York City, displaying quotes by activists, artists, educators, poets, and people living with HIV. This project reached millions of people through coverage in the press and social media, including a feature in the New York Times.
The New York City AIDS Memorial will launch a one-time, high-profile auction with Christie’s in November 2021. The funds raised will allow us to:
Create a Strategic Reserve Fund to ensure the preservation and maintenance of the New York City AIDS Memorial in perpetuity, and to strengthen our educational and cultural programs for the future.
Preserve the history of the AIDS epidemic in order to educate and inform diverse audiences, and to inspire future activism and caretaking.
Grow and strengthen our free, public, community cultural and educational programs, over the next decade, including commissions, installations, exhibitions, and partnerships.
Enhance engagement with our audience through technology, outreach, and increased opportunities for learning.
AUCTION PRESS:
“REMEMBER LOVE.”
— JENNY HOLZER
Presented with:
Deepest gratitude to the donating artists and their galleries as well as to the team at Christie’s New York.
Banner video images: Sarah Sze, Fast Forward, 2021, Courtesy of the artist; Nicolas Party, Landscape, 2021, Courtesy of the artist; Robert Mapplethorpe, Flower, 1987, Courtesy of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation; Rashid Johnson, Untitled Anxious Bruise Drawing, 2021, Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles; Jonas Wood, Mini Purple Bball Orchid, 2021, © Jonas Wood, Courtesy of the artist; Salman Toor, Blonde and Brunette, 2021, © Salman Toor, Courtesy of the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York; KAWS, URGE (KUA9), 2020, Courtesy of the artist; Shara Hughes, Familiar Fairway Night, 2019, Courtesy of the artist.
Photo credits: Da Ping Luo; Mark Abrahams; Sam Waxman with the Generations Project; Ryan Lahiff; Kris Graves; Steve Speranza, © Jenny Holzer, Member, Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.