New York, NY (March 19, 2007)—The Metropolitan Opera has announced the company’s “Art for Opera” auction. Proceeds from the fundraising event, to be held on the Met stage on Sunday, May 6, will support new productions. The auction will feature works—many created exclusively for the occasion—by the following acclaimed artists: John Chamberlain, Chuck Close, George Condo, Barnaby Furnas, William Kentridge, Guillermo Kuitca, Richard Prince, David Salle, Cindy Sherman, Sophie von Hellerman, William Wegman, and Robert Wilson. “Art for Opera” is organized by The Arnold & Marie Schwartz Gallery Met director Dodie Kazanjian. Jamie Niven, Vice-Chairman of Sotheby’s, will serve as guest auctioneer, and Susan Braddock, Donna Rosen, and Ms. Kazanjian will serve as Chairmen of the event.
All of the original works of art to be auctioned are inspired by opera, including two separate portraits of renowned soprano Renée Fleming by Chuck Close and Robert Wilson. All of the pieces will be on view to the public in Gallery Met from April 27 through May 2.
"We're very grateful to the artists who are participating," said Met General Manager Peter Gelb. "Our art form is enriched by their support."
“This auction is another example of the amazing generosity and interest on the part of contemporary artists towards the Met’s exciting new program,” said Ms. Kazanjian. “In this era of increasing cross-pollination among all the arts, we are especially grateful to this group of artists, and to their dealers, for being so supportive of the Met’s initiative.”
About Gallery Met Director Dodie Kazanjian
Ms. Kazanjian, editor at large for Vogue, has been covering the international art scene since 1989. She has identified and written about many of the most promising young artists—among them Cecily Brown, Maurizio Cattelan, John Currin, and Wangechi Mutu—while also profiling and conducting in-depth interviews with such modern masters as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and Cy Twombly. Ms. Kazanjian curated Gallery Met’s inaugural exhibition, “Heroines,” which helped to launch the company’s opening night gala events last year.
About The Arnold & Marie Schwartz Gallery Met
The Arnold & Marie Schwartz Gallery Met, which opened on September 22, 2006, is a showcase for contemporary works of art. Gallery Met reaffirms the company’s long history of groundbreaking relationships with major visual artists and fosters new opportunities for collaboration. Designed by Lindy Roy of Roy Co., the Gallery was made possible through a $1 million donation by Marie Schwarz, an Advisory Director on the Metropolitan Opera’s Board. Named for Mrs. Schwartz and her late husband in recognition of the gift, the Gallery is free and open to the public. It is located in the south side of the lobby of the opera house.
About the Metropolitan Opera
Under the leadership of new General Manager Peter Gelb, the Met has launched a series of bold initiatives designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company’s repertory. The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical productions featuring the greatest opera stars in the world. Earlier this year, the company announced a groundbreaking commissioning program in partnership with New York’s Lincoln Center Theater, to provide renowned composers and playwrights with the resources to create and develop new works at the Met and at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater.
Building on its 76-year-old international radio broadcast history, the Met recently began to use advanced media distribution platforms and state-of-the-art technology to attract new audiences and reach millions of opera fans around the world. Last September, Metropolitan Opera Radio on Sirius launched as a 24-hour satellite radio channel broadcasting both live and rare historical performances. The Met also presents free live streaming of performances on its website once every week with support from RealNetworks®.
In December, the company launched “Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD,” a series of six live performance transmissions, shown in high definition in movie theaters throughout North America, Europe, and Japan. The series has met with overwhelming success and plays to sold-out houses, prompting many theaters to schedule encore showings. By the end of the series, the Met estimates over 500,000 tickets sold. These performances are subsequently being broadcast on PBS, as part of a new “Great Performances at the Met” series.
The Met’s other audience development initiatives include a first-ever open house, which offered the public free access to attend the final dress rehearsal of Madama Butterfly; an extensive transit advertising campaign in New York City; reduced ticket prices, including an immensely popular new rush ticket program; a free open house for public school students to attend the new, English-language version of The Magic Flute in January; and the opening of the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Gallery Met, which exhibits contemporary art inspired by operas in the Met’s repertory.