Shawn Levy picks the works that adorn the walls of his downtown Manhattan home in much the same way he chooses what films he’s going to direct. "I like art that feels singular, specific, but also built for visual joy," he says, sitting barefoot and cross-legged on a plush couch in his den. "And I pick movies that inspire feeling, laughter, and joy."
Levy is known for crowd-pleasers. He made his name as the man behind early-aughts, four-quadrant family fare like Cheaper by the Dozen and the Night at the Museum franchise. His profile has only risen in recent years—first as an executive producer of the massive Netflix hit Stranger Things, and this summer as the director of Deadpool & Wolverine, the record-breaking Marvel jaunt and Levy’s biggest box office success to date (pulling in over a billion dollars worldwide).
The filmmaker’s home, which he shares with his wife, Serena, is filled with Pop and contemporary art that reflects the same playful spirit as his oeuvre. Their collection features work by the likes of Jonas Wood, Jasper Johns, and Julian Schnabel, the latter of which, Walt Whitman IV (Air), 2016, sits in Levy’s office across from the masks of the two superheroes with whom he has become so closely associated.
As soon as I arrive, Levy offers me a tour. In the entryway, there’s a Robert Rauschenberg etching, Solitaire, of a bird on a pier—the first work of art the Levys ever bought. It hangs near an Anna Weyant flower study, and opposite a pink Warhol "Sidewalk" print of the pavement outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. A series of 10 Yoshitomo Naras hangs above the couple’s breakfast nook. “I always sit on the same side of the table,” he says, “because I love looking at those Naras twice a day.
The story of Levy’s entrée into collecting isn’t a typical one. For one thing, he has a star-studded cast of advisors at his fingertips. When he was starting out, it was Steve Martin—a long-time collaborator who appeared in the Levy-directed films Cheaper by the Dozen and The Pink Panther—who told him to subscribe to Sotheby’s catalogs and begin studying.
Among Levy’s most treasured pieces is an Ed Ruscha emblazoned with the words “Lady Joy.” He acquired it with the help of yet another frequent co-conspirator: Owen Wilson, a mutual friend he shares with Ruscha. “The piece describes my everyday domestic life,” says Levy, who has been married for nearly 30 years and has four daughters. “I thought, I just need it.”
Levy has worked with art consultant Cardiff Loy, but also seeks counsel from friends like Tobey Maguire, a dedicated collector himself, or advisor Sophia Cohen. While the Levys will occasionally find themselves drawn to what they describe as “more provocative or troubling” works, they focus on pieces that imbue their home with warmth. “The works in our collection—whether it’s peaceful, meditative paintings like that Tony Lewis across the living room, or something more audacious like the Sterling Ruby, with its use of color and texture—are built for viewer engagement,” the filmmaker tells me. “They are inviting, not repellant."
This is not to say that his love of art is confined to the domestic realm. In fact, the climactic scene in Deadpool & Wolverine is inspired by a Lucian Freud triptych the filmmaker showed to his visual effects team and art department. "To this day, several colleagues from the movie make fun of me for that hifalutin allusion," he says, visibly animated. "But watch that scene: Emma Corrin, Hugh Jackman, and Ryan Reynolds all move through this super fast, stuttery conniption. It all comes back to those paintings."
Are there any Freuds in his collection? Not yet. "There are some artists I’m fascinated by who I either haven’t had an opportunity to acquire or couldn’t afford," he says. He’s still mourning a Barbara Kruger that got away—Jennifer Lopez has it in her office, in the same West Hollywood building as Levy’s company headquarters. "No matter how many times I knock on her door and ask to buy it, I cannot get my hands on it," he says.
Still, Levy is reluctant to think of himself as a collector in any “official” sense. Instead of sharing any grand ambitions for future acquisitions, he returns to the idea of joy. "I do know that living with art makes a home more lovely," Levy tells me. "It’s very much a part of our life now."
