Hundreds of clean water supporters and collectors gathered at Sotheby’s on February 6, 2017 for Art for Water benefitting Waterkeeper Alliance. The celebration of art and clean water featured a select auction of works by renowned artists including Art for Water Co-Chairs Jeff Koons and Ed Ruscha as well as Diane Arbus, Urs Fischer, Walton Ford, Mark Grotjahn, Jonas Wood, Dustin Yellin and many more.
Guest DJ Alexandra Richards spun artful sets and snapped photos of her favorite pieces on a break. Guests including Ron Delsener, Cheryl Hines, John McEnroe, Nicole Miller, Alysia Reiner and Kerry Kennedy showed their support for the cause along with featured artists Chloe Wise, Claire Sherman, Basmat Levin, Alexis Rockman and Peter Drake.
As artists discussed the importance of raising funds and awareness for Waterkeeper Alliance and their fight for clean water worldwide, Art for Water Co-Chair Jeff Koons gave special insight into the reason behind his donation of Girl with Dolphin and Monkey, which features Gretchen Mol as Aphrodite on a dolphin with her son Eros. “It’s about the eternal continuation of life energy. If we just let nature perform, if we don’t contaminate it, then it will remain our life force. We need clean water – it’s our connection to the eternal.”
As he opened the live auction, Waterkeeper Alliance President Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. remarked on the historical connection of artists with nature and “artists’ critical role as an insurgency.” As his tone turned to the need for additional funding for Waterkeeper Alliance’s work, he said, “Clean water should transcend politics. But as decades-long battles for clean water regulations are being dismantled, Waterkeeper Alliance is more important than ever.”
Photo credit Samantha Nandez/BFA.com.