NEW YORK, NY.- American powerhouse sports agent, entrepreneur, and best-selling author Rich Paul will curate the latest edition of Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated auction, selecting an edit of superlative artworks that personally resonate with the vision of his own collection of Contemporary Art. Paul's selection encompasses both abstraction and figuration, highlighting a number of Black American artists central to Paul's collection and integral to his work highlighting representation on the board of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The live auction, presented in partnership with Silversea, will take place at Sotheby’s New York on September 27, with an exhibition on view from September 21 to 26.

Speaking to his own personal tastes in art, Paul remarked: "Art profoundly reflects and enhances personal experiences; it's always been a gateway to self-expression for me. What began as a fascination with fashion evolved into a deeper appreciation for how art mirrors my personal journey and worldview. It’s not just about visual appeal—its true value lies in the emotional impact it has on experiences and feelings."

Expanding further, Paul defined his role as curator: “My role as a curator is about more than just assembling a collection. It’s about fostering a deeper appreciation for art and using my platform to educate and inspire others, creating a legacy of thoughtful engagement.”

“Art, sports, and entertainment are all interconnected—they’re forms of expression that reflect our world. It’s not just about collecting; it’s about enriching the conversation and inspiring others to see art as a vital part of life.” ---RICH PAUL

"This collaboration highlights Rich's deep connection with storytelling through art. As an established collector, Rich is committed to education and accessibility, empowering young artists and the athletes that he represents." --HALEIGH STODDARD, SOTHEBY'S SPECIALIST, HEAD OF CONTEMPORARY CURATED

Since 2013, Sotheby's Contemporary Curated auctions have invited influential figures from fields as diverse as music, business, fashion, film, and culture to curate a group of works by the most sought-after post-war and contemporary artists that showcase their unique taste and interests. Previous curators in New York include Oprah Winfrey, Kim Jones, Swizz Beatz, Cynthia Erivo, Kevin Love and Karlie Kloss, among others. Anchored by exceptional works of art, each tastemaker adds a unique editorial point of view to each sale.

Rich Paul has reshaped the landscape of sports representation since founding KLUTCH Sports Group in 2012. With a groundbreaking approach that puts athletes first, Paul has helped top talent across the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB and now global football build careers that extend far beyond their sport. His influence reaches across industries as he joined the Board of Directors of United Talent Agency (UTA) in 2020 after announcing their partnership in 2019.

Recognized by GQ as “PowerBroker of the Year” and featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated as “The King Maker,” Paul has been a driving force in shaping the sports and media world. His advocacy was pivotal in overturning the controversial "Rich Paul Rule," which would have restricted non-degree-holding agents from representing NCAA athletes.

Paul’s reach goes beyond sports—he co-founded ADOPT, a creative agency focusing on sport, wellness, and tech, and serves on the boards of LACMA, Designer Brands Inc., and Live Nation. In 2023, Paul added New York Times best-selling author to his list of achievements with the release of his memoir, Lucky Me.

CONTEMPORARY CURATED
Live Auction in New York 27 September Works Selected by Rich Paul

Sam Gilliam
Cielo
acrylic on beveled edge canvas 51 by 69 ½ in.
Executed in 1972.
Estimate: $600,000 - $800,000

Cielo is among the most significant examples of Sam Gilliam's celebrated cycle of Beveled Edge paintings, which he executed in the early 1970s. Exemplifying Gilliam's groundbreaking approach to abstract painting and his conflation of the one and two dimensional, Cielo showcases a fluid manipulation of vibrant color and space. Gilliam's work challenges traditional perceptions, earning him a distinguished place among the Washington Color School artists and cementing his legacy in major collections such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Frank Bowling
Sinon
73 by 32 in.
Executed in 1974.
Estimate: $100,000 - $150,000

Painted during a pivotal moment in Frank Bowling's career, Sinon marks his transition from figuration to abstraction, highlighting his mastery of acrylic paint to create richly textured, luminous compositions. Drawing from the tradition of Color Field painting, this visually striking poured painting embodies Bowling’s experimentation with the ideas of chance and controlled accident, and displays his ongoing concern with color, surface and process. Throughout his career, Bowling continuingly engaged with the material properties of painting, informed by decades of experimentation and dialogue with scientists and paint makers. Born in Guyana and working between London and New York, Bowling has spent over sixty years redefining the boundaries of painting, merging abstraction with personal and historical narratives.

Derek Fordjour
N. 30
acrylic, oil, charcoal and oil pastel on newspaper and cardboard mounted on canvas
29 ½ by 24 in.
Executed in 2018.
Estimate: $50,000 - $70,000

N. 30 is an outstanding example of Derek Fordjour’s investigation into the genre of portraiture, vibrating with the exuberant visual energy that defines his oeuvre. This intimate canvas showcases Fordjour’s signature collage technique, incorporating materials like cardboard and newspaper to create richly textured surfaces that amplify the composition’s dynamism and vitality. As displayed in the present work, Fordjour explores a wide emotional spectrum in his art, resonating with both celebration and melancholy while bridging physical and conceptual realms. Rooted in his Ghanaian heritage and informed by his role as an influential educator, Fordjour's works often feature athletes, musicians, and performers, capturing an intricate blend of bodily and emotional depth.

Mark Bradford
Tina
mixed media collage on canvas
101 by 130 ⅞ in.
Executed in 2006.
Estimate: $800,000 - $1,200,000

Mark Bradford's Tina from 2006 is a powerful symphony of abstraction achieved through a meticulous layering of singed end papers and shimmering foil. Drawing on his experience in his mother’s hair salon, Bradford incorporates found materials that evoke the social and material textures of his urban Los Angeles community. Created during a pivotal period in the mid-2000s, Tina reflects Bradford’s exploration of the racial and socio-economic geography of his home city, with its textured, labyrinthine surface recalling the dynamism of urban life and modernist abstractions. Bradford's work bridges the themes both personal and political, transforming everyday materials into poignant visual narratives of marginalized communities.

CONTEMPORARY CURATED
Live Auction in New York 27 September General Sale Highlights

Ruth Asawa
Untitled (S.467, Hanging Four-Lobed Continuous Form with a Sphere in the Second Lobe)
oxidized copper and brass wire 57 by 15 by 15 in.
Executed in 1951.
Estimate: $2,000,000 - 3,000,000

A particularly rare, historic and large-scale example, Untitled (S. 467 - Hanging Four Lobed Continuous Form with a Sphere in the Second Lobe) hails from Ruth Asawa’s most acclaimed and beloved body of work, the hanging multi-lobed wire sculptures. Executed in 1951, the present work's mesmerizing lattice of undulating orbs illustrates Asawa's decades-long celebration of form and space. Untitled (S. 467) is a masterwork that blurs the boundaries between interior and exterior, weight and weightlessness, as well as positive and negative space. Inspired by the basket weaving techniques she studied on a trip to Mexico in 1947 and building on the formalist concepts imparted to her by Josef Albers at Black Mountain College, Untitled (S. 467) stands as a profound testament to Asawa’s ingenuity and ultimately endures as a wholly original and prescient innovation in Post-war American sculpture. Honoring her remarkable body of work and influence, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will open a highly anticipated retrospective on Ruth Asawa in April 2025.

Cecily Brown
Red Rum
signed and dated 2001 (on the reverse); signed and dated 2001 (on the stretcher)
oil on linen 48 by 60 in.
Executed in 2001.
Estimate: $1,800,000 - 2,500,000

Red Rum stands as a vivid testament to Cecily Brown's remarkable ability to merge gestural abstraction with figurative allusion. Executed in 2001 and emerging from a limited series of landscape paintings, this resplendent piece displays Brown's close connection with the history of art and her affinity for Old Master paintings while capturing the frenetic energy that defines her highly sought-after early works. Her work is a dynamic fusion of past and present, where the boundaries of figuration and abstraction blur to create something wholly new and compelling.

Josef Albers
Study to Homage to the Square: Protected Blue incised with the artist's monogram and dated 57 (lower right); signed, titled Study to Homage to the Square: "Protected Blue", dated 1957, and variously inscribed (on the reverse)
oil on Masonite, in artist's frame
31 ⅞ by 31 ⅞ in.
Executed in 1957.
Estimate: $550,000 - 750,000

Executed in 1957, Study to Homage to the Square: Protected Blue, is a striking example of Josef Albers’ Homage to the Square series, one of the most recognizable and iconic bodies of work of the twentieth century. Featuring four squares that together form a vivid interplay of turquoise, auburn, and red with a vibrant electric blue square at its center, the present work is emblematic of Albers' career-defining studies of perception and more specifically his infamous mastery of color.

CONTEMPORARY CURATED
Live Auction in New York 27 September Works to Benefit the Ali Forney Center

As part of the Contemporary Curated auction in New York on 27 September, a sequence of six works by Katherine Bradford, Doron Langberg, Salman Toor, Chris Martin, Justin Liam O'Brien, and Ilana Savdie organized by Stephen Truax of Truax Art Advisory will benefit New York’s Ali Forney Center (AFC), an organization committed to helping LGBTQ+ homeless youth. Members of the queer artist community have donated artworks to benefit the organization which was founded in 2002 in memory of the late homeless gender-nonconforming youth, Ali Forney, offering temporary and permanent housing and services; providing food, shelter, access to education, job readiness training, and medical services; accommodating 24-hour drop-in center among other life-saving resources to more than 2,000 queer young people in New York City.

Salman Toor
Untitled
signed and dated '24 (on the reverse) oil on linen
20 by 16 in.
Executed in 2024.
$100,000 – 150,000

Doron Langberg
Omer
oil on linen
signed with the artist's initials and dated 24' (on the overlap)
24 ⅛ by 18 ⅛ in.
Executed in 2024.
$20,000 – 30,000

"It gives me hope that queer youth who no longer feel safe in their own homes can find shelter and community at the Ali Forney Center. It’s an honor to support the lifesaving work they do, giving kids what was denied them by their families, and what I took for granted growing up: the opportunity to be fully themselves, and be loved for who they are." - Doron Langberg

Chris Martin
Seven Pointed Star
signed with the artist's initials and dated 2021 (lower edge); signed with the artist's initials, titled and dated twice 2020... and 2021... (on the reverse) acrylic, oil, glitter and paper collage on canvas 54 by 45 in.
Executed in 2020-2021.
$20,000 – 30,000

Justin Liam O’Brien
Andromeda
signed, titled and dated 2024 (on the reverse) oil on linen
24 by 20 in.
61 by 50.8 cm.
Executed in 2024.
$8,000 – 12,000

Ilana Savdie
Untitled
signed and dated 2024 (on the overlap); signed and dated 2024 (on the reverse) oil, acrylic, and beeswax on canvas stretched on panel
14 ⅛ by 24 in.
Executed in 2024.
$30,000 – 40,000

Katherine Bradford
Gathering Under Full Moon
signed and dated 2024 (on the reverse) acrylic on canvas
48 by 36 in.
Executed in 2024.
$40,000 – 60,000

"I was really impressed when I visited the new drop-in center at Ali Forney. There was so much space. It seemed so welcoming. And it presented a lot of different projects to participate in for anyone who came over there. It seems to me that anyone who went there could find a community very easily. It's totally set up to facilitate that. That's what impressed me the most.

The painting that I am donating, called Gathering Under Full Moon, shows a group of people linked together visually. One can guess that they support each other, and that they are a community. This is something I believe in as much as anything, so I am very glad to be a part of this benefit auction, to help the Ali Forney Center keep making communities, and keep a space open where people can support each other." - Katherine Bradford