Installation view, from left to right,
of works by George Condo, Baldur Helgason,
Kenny Scharf, Yang Hyun Jun, Javier Calleja,
and KAWS in Jonathan Montalvo’s home
Courtesy of
Jonathan
Montalvo
Imagine you're scrolling on Instagram through the perfect interior photos equipped with bold contemporary art: from Takashi Murakami's multicolored pillows, shiny metal sculptures from empty mountain bases to emily Mae Smith's psychedelic surrealist paintings. While such an interior space may be out of reach for many of us, as an artistic and lifestyle collective designed to educate and encourage young collectors and creators, the founders of "League of Their Own" ("League OTO") are living with these works and using their social media channels to share their collections with others.
Portrait of Gambriel Wills with works,
from left to right and top to bottom, by
Daniel Arsham, Patrick Alston, Adam
Parker Smith, and Takashi Murakami, 2021
Gambriel Wills
"Our overall mission can basically be summed up in one sentence, to open doors for everyone," said Gambriel Wills, the alliance's co-founder. A computer programmer and art collector, Wells manages the group's Instagram page. "It's seen as something out of reach. People will say, 'This is the business of the rich'. And most collectors don't really tell you how they got into the field. Collectors want you to admire what they do, but they won't give you guidance. ”
Kathryn Mecca, installation
view in Jason Lee’s home
Courtesy of Jason Lee
In 2016, after the founding members met each other on Instagram, league OTO was announced. The initial members included Wills, Demetrius Butler, co-owner of The Museum in Washington, D.C., Jay Montalvo, who oversees building maintenance in a high-rise building on Manhattan's Upper East Side, and Jason Lee, president of an advertising agency. Now, founding members of League OTO, all men of color, want to make art more accessible to the masses through their new platform.
Javier Calleja, installation
"I went to high school in Washington, D.C. with [Demitris]," Wells said, "so we knew each other before we all got to know each other." I met (Jason and Jay) on Instagram. ”
of works by Evgen Copi Gorisek and
Javier Calleja in Jonathan Montalvo’s home
Jonathan Montalvo
The four founders used group chats to enhance their relationships and share their shared interests in street art, music and culture. (Wells and Butler are both in Washington, D.C., while Lee and Montalvo are in New York.) After months of exchanges of information, they decided to meet at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth on October 20, 2016, to join them in the opening ceremony of KAWS's exhibition "Where the End Starts." As soon as the four of them met, they found that they were as good as they were online, so they decided to visit the exhibition together.
"We started going to places like museums together, and people had the impression of us as a collective," Wells said, "and it felt like a boy band." Because we dress differently, (people recognize us very quickly). ”
Baldur Helgason, installation
view in Demetrius Butler’s home.
Courtesy of Demetrius Butler
And so, league OTO was born. At first, out of interest in the intersection of art and contemporary music, some members were particularly enthusiastic about artists like Takashi Murakami or KAWS, the former designing the cover of Kanye West's Graduation album, and the latter designing the cover of west's 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak.
"That was the first time I knew the name (of Takashi Murakami)," Butler recalled, "through Kanye." ”
of works by Hilda Palafox (Poni) and
James Ullmer in Demetrius Butler’s home
Demetrius Butler
Members found it easier to collect works from popular artists as a collective. Because as a team, they can work together to reach more artists and galleries, which in turn helps the collective get more work. Although each member pays for it individually, the four usually consult with each other before purchasing. If one of the group finds an artist that everyone likes, they will always try to make the other members of the group buy that artist's work as well.
"We rarely buy things alone, especially me, [Demitris and Jason]," Wells said, "and I really can't think of any art we've bought in a completely personal capacity over the last few years." ”
Portrait of Demetrius Butler with works,
from left to right, by Reen Barrera and
Susmu Kamijo, 2021
For the alliance, this novel model of collecting worked. But in the beginning, they had a hard time convincing galleries to embrace the model, especially when four people wanted four pieces by an artist, not just one. To further advance their collecting career, the alliance decided to promote their work on social media. On July 19, 2017, League OTO launched their Instagram account. At first, the account's fan growth was slow, but in 2018, more people began to notice its presence, and the page attracted the attention of celebrities like Pharrell Williams and platforms like Hypebeast.
Portrait of Jason Lee with works,
from left to right, by Willem
Hoeffnagel and Julia De Ruvo, 2021
Jason Lee
Today, League OTO has more than 86,000 Instagram followers, who use their platform to promote their favorite artists, admire collectors, and visited art institutions. The Alliance even hosts weekly events, such as Artist Day, in which members promote artists they are interested in, including Paul Anthony Smith, and Museum Monday, which showcases photographs of art exhibitions from museums and galleries around the world, including George Condo) and the work of numerous artists including Keith Haring.
LY, installation view in
Demetrius Butler’s home
Over the years, the members of the alliance have enriched their tastes and are no longer limited to KAWS and Takashi Murakami. Today, their collections are all-encompassing: Patrick Alston is a famous abstract artist who gracefully paints large, bright colors on canvas; Sarah Slappey is a skilled painter known for her bizarre depictions of female bodies; and Susumu Kamijo excels at depicting dogs in a funny and energetic way. The Alliance's tastes may have changed, but they remain true to their original intentions: the four still want to demystify the art collection. In the various fields from which the members of the alliance come, discussions about the role of art and collectors are not the norm. Therefore, this mission is particularly important for the members of the Alliance.
Portrait of Jonathan Montalvo
with a work by Kenny Scharf, 2021
Members of league OTO hope that they will be able to provide a model for their aspiring collectors who have no similar role models. To give everyone access to their collection, the Alliance held an exhibition at padre Gallery in 2020 featuring works by artists including KAWS, Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, Javier Calleja, Joyce Pensato, and Maja Djordjevic.
Installation view, from left to right and top to bottom,
of works by Marcus Brutus, Evgen Copi Gorisek,
and Baldur Helgason in Gambriel Wills’s home
Courtesy
of Gambriel
Wills
"We like to show art at home, but we don't invite you to the house because of that, and that's dangerous," Wells said, "and for that reason, we decided to take some art out of our homes and put it in a gallery for everyone to enjoy." ”
(Article from Artsy)
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