The Los Angeles artist Alex Israel credited entertainment queen Oprah Winfrey as one of his biggest inspirations at last night’s glitzy British Friends of the Art Museums of Israel (BFAMI) fundraiser at London’s Dorchester Hotel (16 January). Describing Winfrey as arguably a performance artist, Israel said: “She has elevated a new conversation by being smart, funny and emotionally sensitive—all at once," adding that “the way she keeps the door open for everyone inspires my work." Israel also cited Winfrey’s recent emotional and rousing speech at the Golden Globe Awards on the issue of #MeToo.
The coincidence of Israel’s name as BFAMI’s guest of honour made for some light-hearted banter. Collector Anita Zabludowicz, the honorary president of BFAMI, introduced him as “a kid from LA, with the name Israel”; the artist meanwhile praised “an incredible country that was named after me.” Later in the evening, his Wave (2017), whose shapes and colours provided the backdrop to the evening, was sold at an auction led by Phillips’ Henry Highley for £36,000. The total amount raised at the well-attended gala—where tables for ten were priced at £5,000 and also included a silent auction—has yet to be finalised, but organisers describe it as “very successful”. The artist is also in town to launch his first feature-length film, SPF-18. This zones in on teenagers and screens tonight as part of Serpentine Cinema at London’s Curzon Mayfair.