NEW YORK, NY.- On Thursday, 17 May, Maurizio Cattelan will offer a full set of Museums League scarves in Phillips’ 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, with all proceeds going directly to the Brooklyn Museum, New York. The artist has personally donated this unique set, which was specifically created for this purpose. In addition to the thirty existing patterns, Cattelan has also designed a new Phillips scarf to commemorate the occasion. As the final lot of thirty eight works in the Evening Sale, the set is expected to raise over $20,000 for the Brooklyn Museum.

Jean-Paul Engelen, Phillips’ Worldwide Co-Head of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, said, “It has been an honor to work with Maurizio Cattelan and the Brooklyn Museum in the important sale of these iconic scarves. The Brooklyn Museum is among the most groundbreaking art institutions in the world and Cattelan has requested that proceeds from the sale of this lot go directly toward helping them continue their important work.”

Anne Pasternak, Shelby White and Leon Levy Director of the Brooklyn Museum, added, “We are so grateful for Maurizio Cattelan’s generosity in donating a set of Museums League scarves to be auctioned at Phillips. The Brooklyn Museum’s mission is to create inspiring encounters with art that expand the ways we see ourselves, the world, and its possibilities.

The proceeds from this sale will certainly go a long way in helping us work toward this pursuit, bringing the best experiences possible to the people of New York and to our many visitors.”

The present work brings together the complete suite of Maurizio Cattelan’s Museums League scarves. This “art for all” project is the first part of his larger Made in Catteland initiative, which is dedicated to supporting contemporary art. Devised by Cattelan in collaboration with design house Seletti, Museums League is a project where the artist has created tributes for contemporary art enthusiasts to support their favorite art institutions.

With museums increasingly acting as reference points for communities, places where a sense of identification, passion and faith take place, Cattelan looks to create an object that engages with connoisseurs and dilettantes alike and represents their passion for the arts. With Museums League, Cattelan appropriates the celebratory symbolism of an alternative contemporary space, the football (soccer) stadium. Inspired by football team scarves, Cattelan’s scarves celebrate that same sense of support and belonging, with the artist’s trademark humor and pop savvy. Each scarf encapsulates the institution defining features or “chants.”

In addition to the full set being offered as one lot in the auction, every winning bidder in the Evening Sale on 17 May will be gifted one of Cattelan’s new Phillips scarves.