eBay for Charity has partnered with artist Ernesto Neto to offer a limited edition artwork, with proceeds benefitting the American Friends of Fondation Beyeler (AFFB). Available exclusively on eBay, the new work is titled We Are All Children of the Earth (2018), and is a signed and numbered edition of 1,000 available for $620 each at eBay.com/ErnestoNeto, beginning July 23.
The limited-time sale coincides with the Fondation Beyeler’s public art installation by Neto in Zurich Main Station, titled GaiaMotherTree, on view through July 27, 2018. Inspired by GaiaMotherTree, Neto’s latest sculpture is a hand-knotted crochet-bag carrying a holy fruit, the mango, made of stone plaster. The sculpture hangs from the ceiling with the mango suspended in the long, crocheted bag.
“At eBay, we’re passionate about supporting the work of recognized artists and using the power of our platform to make an impact”, said Sam Bright, Vice President of Soft Goods at eBay. “Our collaboration with the Fondation Beyeler and Ernesto Neto brings one of the artist’s signature sculptures exclusively to our 171 million active buyers and supports the public art exhibition inside Zurich’s main train station.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with both eBay, one of the largest global marketplaces; and Ernesto Neto, one of Brazil’s most important contemporary artists,” added Sam Keller, Director of Foundation Beyeler. “His work brings us back to the roots while connecting us with Nature. I am delighted that he created this beautiful sculpture, which brings together so many aspects of his work. We hope that many will be enchanted.”
Neto’s ideas have been influenced by the Brazilian Neo-Concrete movement of the 1960s and also by Minimal and Conceptual Art, and Arte Povera. Spirituality, humanism, and ecology are among his principal concerns. His work since the 1990s has been characterized by the use of materials and techniques that are unusual in art. His sculptures and installations often feature biomorphic forms and organic materials, with transparency, sensuality, and a spirit of community playing a major role. Viewers can touch the works and walk through them or set them in motion; in many cases, they also appeal to the sense of smell. The visitor is invited to concentrate on his or her own perception and interact with the work and its environment.
Neto is one of Brazil’s most important contemporary artists. His work has won worldwide recognition, with several presentations at the Venice Biennale and exhibitions in the world’s leading museums. Neto’s work has been collected by, among others, the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Tate Modern, London; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; and the Hara Museum, Tokyo.
About the Exhibition in Zurich Main Station
From June 30 to July 29, 2018, the Fondation Beyeler will be showing a project by the Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto in Zurich Main Station. The monumental work GaiaMotherTree, a sculpture made of brightly colored hand-knotted cotton strips, resembles a tall tree, extending right up to the ceiling of the station concourse, which is twenty meters high. GaiaMotherTree is a walk-in structure that functions as a meeting place and a venue for interaction and meditation. A varied program of events for adults and children, with music, meditations, workshops, talks, and guided introductions to the work, will take place inside the installation.
GaiaMotherTree was made entirely by hand. Strips of cotton were knotted together with a finger-crocheting technique to form a giant transparent structure. The upper part of the work, shaped like the crown of a tree, will cover the ceiling of the station concourse. At the base of the tree there is a large space where visitors can linger and rest on seats arranged in a circle. Drop-shaped elements hanging from the branches are filled with aromatic spices and seeds.
In connection with this public art project, the Fondation Beyeler is showing a number of earlier sculptures by Neto in its central exhibition gallery in Riehen, Basel. Major works from the 1980s and 1990s are supplemented by Altar for a plant (2017), presented in the grounds of the museum.
About Ernesto Neto
Ernesto Neto was born in 1964 in Rio de Janeiro. From 1994 to 1997 he studied at Rio’s Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage and took courses at the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro. In 1988 he had his first solo show in his native city at the Petite Galerie. His works were presented abroad for the first time in 1996. Today Ernesto Neto is one of Latin America’s most important contemporary artists. In addition to taking part in the Venice Biennale several times and in exhibitions at renowned museums worldwide, his works have found their way into the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Tate in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Hara Museum in Tokyo, among others.
About The Fondation Beyeler
The Fondation Beyeler is a museum of modern and contemporary art open 365 days a year in Basel, Switzerland. It is considered one of the world's most beautiful museums. Its exhibitions of renowned artists of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries have brought the museum international recognition and established it as Switzerland's most popular art museum. The focus is the visitor's personal and sensory experiences in encountering art and nature.
The art museum is located in an English park with a historical villa, old trees, and water lily ponds. The museum building, designed by award-winning Italian architect Renzo Piano, fits elegantly into the cultural landscape and offers beautiful views of the park, cornfields, grazing cows and sheep, as well as the vineyards at the foothills of the Black Forest. The spacious rooms showcase the art in the most beautiful natural light. A green conservatory invites you to linger and read. The Fondation Beyeler combines nature, art, and architecture in a unique harmony. An expansion project is currently planned in the adjacent park with renowned Swiss architect Peter Zumthor.
About eBay for Charity
eBay for Charity helps enable members of the eBay community to connect with and support their favorite charities when they buy or sell in the U.S. and abroad. Sellers can donate up to 100 percent of the proceeds to a charity of their choice, while buyers can add a donation to their purchase during checkout. To date, nearly $810 million dollars has been raised for charity by the eBay community.
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