As musicians, actors, and artists alike rush to publicly endorse Kamala Harris for president ahead of the upcoming U.S. election on November 5, some are also using their star power to fund her campaign. Big name artists like Jeff Koons, Kara Walker, Amy Sherald, Jenny Holzer, and others donated a total of 54 works to the online benefit auction “Artists for Kamala,” which exceeded its pre-sale estimate of $1 million to raise over $1.5 million for the cause.
Hosted by Artsy and organized by the Harris Victory Fund, the sale also featured many more high profile contemporary artists, including George Condo, Hank Willis Thomas, Betye Saar, Rashid Johnson, Robert Longo, Shephard Fairey, Julian Schnabel, and Joan Jonas.
Among the most expensive lots were a mammoth sculpture American Flagpole (Gazing Balls) (2024) by Koons, which had an estimate of $300,000, and a set of ten lithographs by Johns with an estimate of $150,000. Both sold for undisclosed six-figure sums, as did the Holzer, an inscribed bench titled Selection from Truisms: There are too few… (2023), which had been given an estimate of $200,000.
Jeff Koons, American Flagpole (Gazing Balls) (2024). Photo: © Jeff Koons.
Condo’s crayon and wash work on paper Women Are Beautiful (2024) had been given an estimate of $150,000. The artist commented: “I am hoping that Kamala Harris will restore the faith that we put in women in our society. I believe the Harris-Walz team will look out for each and every one of us and that the light of their vision will deliver us from the darkness that we no longer wish to dwell in.”
With an estimate of $110,000, Katherine Bernhardt’s Man in the Mirror (2024), one of her quintessential Pink Panther portraits, was another highlight. “So many important issues are at stake in this election, including health care, reproductive rights, and our democracy itself,” she said.
Other standout works from the sale were a classic Sherald portrait As soft as she is…, (2023) with an estimate of $50,000, and Longo’s Study of Shadow Horse (2023) in ink and charcoal on vellum, with an estimate of $65,000. A Kara Walker work on paper, Clotilde and Child (2015) carried an estimate of $25,000.
Hank Willis Thomas, Fragile, Democracy, Handle with Care (2024). Image courtesy of Hank Willis Thomas and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Perhaps the most on the nose work was Fragile, Democracy, Handle with Care (2024), a call to action by Hank Willis Thomas. The limited-edition silkscreen is one of 50 and had an estimate of $10,000.
The online sale ran from September 30 through October 8 but, for collectors still hoping to support the Democrats, additional works are being sold via artistsforkamala.org. These include prints by artists like Alex Katz, Judy Chicago, Carrie Mae Weems, and Wangechi Mutu, photography by Annie Leibovitz and Isaac Julien, and works on paper by Lonnie Holley and Carroll Dunham.
So far, this sale, which continues until October 18th, has brought in a further $2.5 million, bringing the total raised so far by “Artists for Kamala” to over $4 million. The most affordable works by Kii Arens can be snapped up for $200.