Art and tennis? A match made in heaven.
CULTURED and Merrill, A Bank of America Company, the event's lead sponser, took to the courts yesterday afternoon for the Art & Leisure Tennis Tournament in support of Artadia, a nonprofit committed to catalyzing the careers of emerging artists in the United States. An unofficial kickoff for Frieze Los Angeles, the second annual tournament brought together collectors, artists, and curators alike for fundraising and fast-paced games.
Last year, the event’s organizers sought to bring supporters together after the pandemic, during which Artadia provided $5,000 emergency grants to well over 4,500 artists. At this year’s tournament, the focus was on the joy of play ahead of the city’s premiere contemporary art fair. With all ticket proceeds supporting Artadia’s grant program, what could be better than a little friendly competition?
LVBL—Los Angeles’s buzzy, social tennis club—organized eager participants into teams of doubles for Live Ball matches. Fun and dynamic, the King of the Court-style mini-matches were a success as participants got to know their fellow players while other attendees cheered from the sidelines. After a couple hours of tennis, lunch was served overlooking the terrace, including non-alcoholic aperitifs from tournament sponsor Ghia.
The event brought out a stacked lineup of guests, including artists Charles Gaines, Friedrich Kunath, and A'Driane Nieves; Gagosian's Sophia Cohen; collectors Jason and Michelle Rubell; gallerists Esther Kim Varet and Ellie Rines; advisor Molly Epstein; designer Carlton DeWoody; and CULTURED editor-in-chief Sarah Harrelson. Convening the art world’s movers and shakers is clearly not an issue for the organization: Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner, and Blum went all out with their support.
This year’s tournament marked 25 years of Artadia. Since 1999, the San Francisco-founded nonprofit has given more than $6 million in unrestricted funds to nearly 400 visual artists. The competitive and closely watched Artadia Awards, which provide $15,000 in grants to select recipients, help artists further their careers across eight different U.S. cities. Past awardees include Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Nick Cave, and Amy Blakemore.
