RYAN MURPHY SHARES HIS PICKS FROM "CONTEMPORARY CURATED"

Ryan Murphy’s first TV show was the cult classic Popular, a teenage comedy-drama that aired for two seasons, but it was the genre-defying medical drama Nip/Tuck followed by the TV musical Glee that made him a household name. Since then, Murphy has helmed numerous TV shows and movies — such as American Horror Story; The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story; Eat, Pray, Love; Pose; and The Politician — that have rejuvenated television’s anthology format and championed inclusive storytelling. Now, the showrunner celebrated for his Baroque and distinctive style of filmmaking is on the eve of releasing The Andy Warhol Diaries, a docuseries about the famed artist, on Netflix on 9 March, 2022.

Produced by Murphy and directed by Andrew Rossi, The Andy Warhol Diaries looks at Warhol through his personal journal, which he began dictating on 24 November, 1976 — then at the height of his fame — and completed on 17 February, 1987, five days before he died due to surgical complications at the age of 58. The Netflix series features interviews with insiders like Bob Colacello and Jerry Hall, and looks behind Warhol’s well-crafted public image to reveal the iconic artist’s private persona.

“The series really examines Warhol’s life as an artist in a new way, unveiling the man behind the work through a queer sensibility, and exploring the man as his own work of art,” Murphy told Sotheby’s. “I see a lot of myself in Andy Warhol, particularly in the idea of reinvention. In my career, I’ve gone through many different phases, which are very much influenced by the people I am surrounded by.”

This month, Murphy is also the guest curator of Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated auction. A passionate art collector, Murphy selected several standout artworks from the sale, including Warhol’s portrait of the Japanese composer, pianist, and singer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Murphy’s other picks include two works by the late Wayne Thiebaud (the first of the artist’s paintings to come to auction since he passed in December 2021), an outstanding Jean-Michel Basquiat, and works by Louise Bourgeois, Cecily Brown, John Baldessari, Alma Thomas, Stanley Whitney, Maureen Gallace, Alex Katz, and Nathaniel Mary Quinn. Each of these artists, Murphy said, shares a spirit with Warhol in some way.

WAYNE THIEBAUD, CANTALOUPE, 1962. OIL ON CANVAS, 20 X 28 IN.

ANDY WARHOL, SAKAMOTO PORTRAIT, 1984. SYNTHETIC POLYMER PAINT AND SILKSCREEN INK ON CANVAS, 40 X 40 IN.

ANDY WARHOL, SUPERMAN: ONE PLAY FROM MYTHS, 1981. SCREENPRINT, IN COLOR, SIGNED IN PENCIL, AND NUMBERED 112/200, WITH THE BLINDSTAMP OF RUPERT JASON SMITH OF THE PRINTER WITH THE PUBLISHER’S INK STAMP ON THE VERSO, 37 3/4 X 37 3/4 IN.