NEW YORK, NY — Sometimes bigger IS better, at least according to basketball legend and current Cleveland Cavalier Shaquille O'Neal. The 320-pound, 7'1" NBA athlete is taking off his size-22 gym shoes and stepping into the world of fine art. Shaq has scored himself a new job as curator of the Size DOES Matter exhibit opening at the FLAG Art Foundation in February.
“As a curator, I have a responsibility to the artists, who are my 'teammates.' We all have to make each other look good - no different than what I do on the court," Shaq said in an interview.
Size DOES Matter will explore how scale affects the perception of contemporary art and includes pieces whose size is a key component of their composition, whether giant or microscopic. Fifty-two artworks by thirty-nine artists, including Chuck Close, Jeff Koons and Ron Mueck, were hand-selected by Shaq for the exhibit.
“It was a little harder than I thought it would be," Shaq explained. "When you think about what each of the artists put into their work, what they are expressing and want to share with the world, you feel bad about having to narrow it down."
“It was a little harder than I thought it would be," Shaq explained. "When you think about what each of the artists put into their work, what they are expressing and want to share with the world, you feel bad about having to narrow it down."
The exhibit will be accompanied by a comprehensive catalog of images and an essay by controversial (recall his semi-fictional memoir A Million Little Pieces - Oprah's Book Club Selection scandal), bestselling author James Frey.
“This won’t be like another nice show at MoMA or the Met," Frey said. “Getting Shaq, one of the largest people in the world, to curate a show about scale is really fun. He does a lot of things that are unconventional for a guy of his stature."
“This won’t be like another nice show at MoMA or the Met," Frey said. “Getting Shaq, one of the largest people in the world, to curate a show about scale is really fun. He does a lot of things that are unconventional for a guy of his stature."
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Size DOES Matter (February 19 - May 27, 2010)
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Read More - Shaq Takes a Shot at Art as Curator of Show 'Size DOES Matter' | Bloomberg
[Photo: Ron Mueck's Big Man (2000) is on loan from the Hirshhorn Museum for the Size DOES Matter exhibit.]
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