Shake It Up: Works from the Mario Testino Collection Auction to Benefit Museo MATE, Lima, Peru. 13 & 14 September 2017, Sotheby's London
As one of the world's most celebrated image makers, Mario Testino has photographed icons of the stage, screen and beyond. His discerning eye has allowed him insight into the world of contemporary art. Curated over the last 30 years, this diverse collection reaches far beyond the medium he is famous for; and includes drawing, painting and sculpture from the most interesting artists working today such as Ugo Rondinone, Wolfgang Tillmans and Elizabeth Peyton. Testino's passion for championing art and artists was reinforced with the opening of Museo MATE, which he launched in Lima in 2012, to bring Peruvian artists to worldwide attention, while offering the best of international contemporary art and photography to audiences in Lima. The works offered for sale in Shake It Up will directly support the continuation of the work of MATE, and the ongoing dialogue Mario Testino enjoys with visual creative thinkers around the world.
The cool, contemporary tile interiors and colour gradations in Varejão’s Blue Sauna reflect Testino’s own explorations of the formal qualities of image making; light, colour, and composition. “In the sauna paintings, I deal with very classical topics of painting — paint, colour, tone, perspective, and so on. There is an ambiguous atmosphere, a suspended narrative in these paintings”, Varejão said in an interview with the Huffington Post. Always deeply connected and engaged with the artists whose work he collects, in 2017 Testino filmed a video tour of Varejão’s Rio de Janeiro studio for his MiraMira.tv website, exploring the artist’s continued fascination with ceramic materials and traditions.
Image above: Adriana Varejão, Blue Sauna, 2003. Estimate £400,000–£600,000. Shake It Up: Works from the Mario Testino Collection Auction to Benefit Museo MATE, Lima, Peru. 13 & 14 September 2017
