At AmfAR Venezia, filmmaker Julian Schnabel accepted a tribute award from Jude Law before auctioning off a one-of-a-kind experience: The director and artist, at the Venice Film Festival to premiere his new drama “In the Hand of Dante,” offered to paint one of his signature portraits for the highest bidder in the room.
As the offers flew from auctioneer Simon du Pury, suddenly a woman in a black dress with a very short bob raised her hand to place a bid of €475,000 ($556,730). As the auctioning continued — she was caught in a heated bidding war with an art deal on the phone with an anonymous proposer — Schnabel agreed to sell two portraits for €500,000 (roughly $584,275) a piece. In total, Schnabel’s efforts raised €1 million ($1.17 million) for AmfAR Venezia, the charity gala devoted to raising money for research for HIV and AIDS.
He turned to his new portrait subject and reached out for a handshake while asking for her name.
“Halsey!”
Yes that Halsey, the Grammy-nominated singer of “Closer” and “Without Me.” Turns out, she’s a huge fan of Schnabel’s art.
“I own seven of his works already. He is my favorite living artist,” Halsey told Variety while she waited for a water taxi to leave the event. “As soon as I found out that it was a personalized commission, I knew I was going to bid all the way.”
And she has a personal connection to the charity work done by AmfAR. She was diagnosed in 2022 with the autoimmune disease lupus and a t-cell leukemia disorder — and those conditions, too, benefit from the research funded by AmfAR, she said.
“It was a full circle moment. I had to make this come to life,” Halsey said. “So I’m feeling on top of the world.”
For now, she remains undecided on where she’ll display her new work of art. “I don’t know yet, but I’m hoping I’m going hang it for a long time,” she said. “I have a 4-year-old son, so I’m constantly thinking about my legacy. I know this will be a very important one.”
AmfAR, known for its extravagant charity auctions at film festivals, brings out wealthy patrons of the arts and celebrities — and Sunday night’s event, hosted by Colman Domingo, was no exception. Among the stars in attendance were Jesse Williams, Kevin Spacey, Paris Jackson, Sofia Carson and singer Ava Max, who ended the night with an energetic performance of “Sweet but Psycho” and “Kings and Queens.” Later in the night, Williams and Sacha Baron Cohen made appearances at an afterparty at a palace on the smaller island of San Clemente.
Spacey, whose career was derailed at the height of #MeToo by sexual misconduct allegations, has been attempting to mount a Hollywood comeback. (He was found not liable in a New York civil lawsuit in 2022 and acquitted in a criminal case in London the following year.) Spacey declined to comment to Variety about his attendance.
Among the hot-button items that also sparked bidding wars were a resort and spa in Zanzibar (€55,000), an 1967 Andy Warhol painting of Marilyn Monroe (€80,000) and a triptych of Cindy Crawford (€25,000) with the likes of Domingo, Williams and Law on stage at various points in the night to drive those offers higher and higher — in the name of charity.
“Every death from HIV/ AIDS is a tragedy and we can stop them all with a cure,” Domingo said from the stage. “If you take anything with you tonight, let it not be the sobering statistics. Let it be this: We can cure HIV, and we will!”
