During Frieze Los Angeles, Christie’s will present Eye Contact: An Invitation, a non-selling portrait exhibition featuring 16 works by eight contemporary artists. Having traveled through Paris and Venice, the exhibition now makes its Los Angeles debut on the Beverly Hills terrace.
The theme was chosen by the curators of the Pinault Collection. While maintaining the contemporary focus of previous exhibitions, it stands out for its emphasis on portraiture and its location in Los Angeles.
François Pinault’s remarkable collection of over 10,000 modern and contemporary works, spanning from the 1960s to today, reflects his 50-year passion for art. It features diverse artists and explores a broad range of themes, including political, social, ethnic, and gender issues.
The Pinault Collection is showcased in rotating exhibitions at its museums and through global loans and events. Known for groundbreaking exhibitions and artist-in-residence programs, it promotes modern and contemporary art both in France and internationally.
The exhibition, featuring works by Llyn Foulkes, Marlene Dumas, Cindy Sherman, Jim Shaw, Thomas Houseago, Pope.L, Luc Tuymans, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, explores human figuration with a focus on portraiture, offering a fresh perspective on the genre.
Llyn Foulkes is an American artist known for his collages, textured paintings, and performances using a self-made instrument. His work reflects American materialism, often incorporating nostalgic and hopeful remnants like postcards and Mickey Mouse imagery.
Marlene Dumas, originally from South Africa and based in the Netherlands since 1976, creates portraits that express emotions or states of mind rather than depicting real people. She draws inspiration from diverse sources, including newspaper clippings, souvenirs, and Polaroid photographs, using oil on canvas and ink on paper.
Cindy Sherman is renowned for her photographic self-portraits, often portraying herself in various fictional roles. Her iconic series, Untitled Film Stills, features 70 black-and-white images of her embodying traditional female roles in media.
Jim Shaw, an American artist and culture collector from Midland, now living in Los Angeles, redefines popular and religious imagery. His series Thrift Store Paintings uses canvases sourced from charity shops to create massive artworks.
Thomas Houseago, a British artist residing in Los Angeles, creates monumental, abstracted sculptures using diverse materials. His figurative work draws from both classical and modernist sculpture.
Pope.L, an American visual artist, is known for performance and public art that transforms everyday events and objects into existential provocations. His work challenges social norms and questions rationalized beliefs and actions.
Luc Tuymans, a Belgian visual artist, is recognized for paintings that explore how humans engage with history and their tendency to ignore it. In addition to painting, he works with video and printmaking.
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, a British painter of Ghanaian descent, is celebrated for her soft-toned, large-scale figurative oil paintings. Her work, featuring both fictional and found figures, has sparked a resurgence in black figure painting.
Eye Contact: An Invitation runs from January 22 to March 28, 2025.
