Build Your Art Collection While Supporting Hunger Relief

As COVID-19 shut down most of the country and New York became the epicenter, the effect of lost wages and closed schools meant thousands of New Yorkers were left uncertain where they would get their next meal. So artist Doron Langberg came up with an idea to help. The young, Israeli-born, New York–based painter has spent the past few weeks working tirelessly with his gallery, Yossi Milo Gallery, to set up an emergency benefit auction, with 100 percent of proceeds going to Food Bank for New York City.

The auction features an impressive lineup of works by such major talents as Cecily Brown, Katherine Bernhardt, Ross Bleckner, Nicole Eisenman, Peter Halley, Ann Craven, Lyle Ashton Harris, Jeffrey Gibson, Felipe Baeza, Salman Toor, Devan Shimoyama, Louis Fratino, Marilyn Minter, Betty Tompkins, Didier William, and Sanya Kantarovsky—all of whom generously donated their art for the cause. Available to view on Artsy until 4 p.m. on May 8, the auction offers a fantastic opportunity to add to your art collection while supporting a good cause.

“In a time when it’s so easy to feel powerless and anxious, bringing our work together to help others in need gave us a sense of agency and allowed us to effect real change,” Doron Langberg tells Galerie from his studio at the EFA in Times Square, New York.

Langberg was inspired to create the charity for Food Bank for NYC after seeing Hannah Beerman’s “Artists for Humans” Instagram page, an amazing initiative selling art to benefit different charities. (Since launching on March 14, the project has raised thousands of dollars for local organizations serving the homeless.) Founded in 1983, Food Bank for New York City aims to end hunger by organizing food, information, and support for over 1.4 million New Yorkers.

“Art gives us the ability to be in someone else’s shoes, to see the world from the artist’s perspective,” says Langberg, who is known for gestural paintings that explore interpersonal relationships and themes of love and desire. “This connection and empathy to another person feels more important than ever right now. For me personally, art means community, and in this auction that community really came together with enthusiasm and generosity that blew me away.”

Doron Langberg, Lovers #5, 2020. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

We asked Langberg to share a selection of works on offer and what he finds so impactful about them.

Keltie Ferris, >>>x<<<, 2017. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Mitchell-Innes & Nash

1. Keltie Ferris

“I love Keltie’s ongoing series of glowing powder-pigment body prints. By using her own body and wearing ‘work cloths,’ she both revels in and critiques giants like Yves Klein, Jasper Johns, and David Hammons, crystalizing the relationship between feminism and process abstraction.”

Aaron Fowler, Gervonta “The One” Davis, 2019. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and N2 Existence Studios

2. Aaron Fowler

“Aaron has a Pop Art sensibility, mixing references from his personal life and American culture. In this textured piece of Gervonta Davis, it feels to me that he’s celebrating the boxer’s achievement and also rendering him with the kind of familiarity you would a friend.”

Louis Fratino, Nude in Black Shorts, 2020. Photo: Courtesy of the artist, Antoine Levi Gallery, Sikkema Jenkins and Company

3. Louis Fratino

“This stunning drawing, one of three Louis gave to the auction, really highlights the tender intimacy so unique to his work. Louis and Salman were the first artists to agree to participate in the auction, and their support has been instrumental in getting more artists on board!”

Sasha Gordon, Echo, 2020. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Matthew Brown Gallery Los Angeles

4. Sasha Gordon

“Sasha is the youngest of the 94 artists participating, and her beautiful piece perfectly captures her ability to meld together personal experience, imaginative and surreal narratives, and cultural issues surrounding inclusion and visibility.”

Lyle Ashton Harris, Polizia (Mille Luce), 2001. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Salon 94, New York

5. Lyle Ashton Harris

“This amazing piece was made during Lyle’s time at the American Academy in Rome, in response to news stories of the time about racism in Italian soccer. As a stand-alone, this image of Italian police relates to pressing issues of our time and reads more contemporary than ever.”

Dana Schutz, Victor, 2019. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Petzel Gallery, New York

6. Dana Schutz

“This is one of the auction’s big-ticket lots. Dana was so generous to give this incredible work on paper. It’s an extraordinary piece that captures her signature blend of extravagant color, dark humor, and existential emotional depth.”

The auction is available to view at artsy.net/foodbanknyc, and bidding ends on May 8.