Julie Mehretu donated her abstract painting titled Dissident Score to raise funds for the nonprofit Art for Justice Fund to end mass incarceration. Artsy, the online marketplace, will host the single lot sale with a starting bid of $2.6m and will close June 10th, 3pm EST. The painting is estimated to fetch $3 to $4m.
The painting’s size, 9ft by 10ft, is characteristic of the Ethiopian-American artist. Dissident Score is typical of Mehretu’s style, richly dense and gestural, with washy shadows over a background of orange, pink, and red hues. Mehretu’s works, which often abstract images of protests and injustice, are critically engaging and highly charged.
The vibrant, monumental painting, officially unveiled at a virtual celebration on 26 May, was made specifically for Art for Justice. The organisation has already dispersed over $92m to end mass incarceration, which disproportionately affects Black, Brown, and poor families, and reframe the conversation by supporting artists and advocates.
“Art for Justice has been unwavering in its commitment to support the enormous efforts to end mass incarceration and achieve abolition since its founding by Agnes Gund.” Mehretu says, adding, “I hope to contribute to these efforts and the fund with the full proceeds from the sale of my painting Dissident Score, 2019–21.” Leveraging the commodification of art sales, which she called an uncomfortable reality, Mehretu hopes to show the capacity of art and artists to make collective change.
In donating Dissident Score, Mehretu joins artists Mark Bradford, Nick Cave, Paula Crown, Stanley Whitney, Mark di Suvero, Jeff Koons, Titus Kaphar, and Dwayne Betts, who have all supported Art for Justice in the past. The sale of Mehretu’s painting was made possible by Marian Goodman Gallery, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and the Ford Foundation.