Jim Carrey may be best known for his onscreen work in films from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But behind the scenes, the actor and artist has amassed quite the collection of fine art and modern design. Proof is in Bonhams L.A.’s upcoming sale of items that Carrey has lovingly acquired over nearly 30 years.
The 35 lots, part of the auctioneer’s Modern Design | Art auction on July 25, are dominated by Carrey’s design objects, among them Adam Kurtzman’s 2004 work Pair of Hands (estimate: $2,000–3,000) and Martin C. Herbst’s 1965 stainless-steel work, Sphere ($3,000–5,000). Furniture pieces including a lily pad-shaped coffee table by Paula Swinnen ($6,000–8,000) and a cloud-shaped table by Joris Laarman ($60,000–80,000) speak to the actor’s taste for organic forms.
Adam Kurtzman, Pair of Hands (2004). Photo courtesy of Bonhams.
Other design highlights include a group of 1960s designs by French sculptor Philippe Hiquily. A console co-designed with Jean-Claude Farhi ($20,000–30,000) and an armchair crafted out of brass and steel ($20,000–30,000) bear out the artist’s signature of provocative forms and balance. There’s also a rug dotted with hummingbirds, handwoven with metallic thread and silk by Alexander McQueen ($15,000–20,000).
Philippe Hiquily and Jean-Claude Farhi, Console (2012, designed 1968). Photo courtesy of Bonhams.
The fine art department is anchored by a pair of paintings: Kenny Scharf’s 2014 graphic oil Ice Mont ($10,000–20,000), and a David Hockney work on paper depicting one of his iconic pools ($30,000–40,000).
The sale is rounded off with a selection of photographs that speaks to Carrey’s visual and musical tastes. Abstract images by Ruth Bernhard and Jacques Lowe are included, as are historic photographs of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and Jimi Hendrix by the likes of Danny Lyon, Gered Mankowitz, and Astrid Kirchherr.
“It’s been my very good fortune to be surrounded by many of the finer things in life,” said Carrey about the sale, “and I’m always gratified when it’s time to let them go so that others may enjoy them as well.”
David Hockney, Pool (1937). Photo courtesy of Bonhams.
Carrey’s art practice has gained steam in the past decade. He began showing his paintings in the 2010s, before turning his hand to drawing scathing cartoons of politicians around 2016—to the approval of critic Jerry Saltz and the displeasure of the Guardian‘s Jonathan Jones.
More recently, his art has pivoted toward themes of nature: his 2022 NFT, Sunshowers, aimed to capture the “miraculous regenerative potential” of being bathed in sunlight. Earlier, in 2020, during a phase of painting mangoes, Carrey explained of his subjects: “They represent abundance and sweetness and the gifts of the universe. So, that’s where I’m at.”