Justin Timberlake on Richard Serra, Banksy and spending more time in museums
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Is it time to call pop superstar Justin Timberlake an art collector too? In the July issue of ‘Vanity Fair,’ Vanessa Grigoriadis, who calls the singer-actor-philanthropist ‘his generation’s multi-talented Sammy Davis Jr.,’ rides with him in his Audi R8 to visit the L.A. County Museum of Art. She says it was a last-minute decision on his part for where to go on a gray day this spring.
The photo shoot was pegged to the release of his movie ‘Friends with Benefits,’ but the story covers a lot of ground, including his takes on contemporary art.
On getting turned around in a maze-like Richard Serra sculpture at LACMA that day: ‘I feel like this is a bad dream I might have had.’
On buying a painting by Banksy: ‘I split it with a friend, so we each get to keep it for a little while.’ (Banksy was also a punch line for him earlier this year: he joked ‘I’m Banksy’ when presenting the Academy Award for best animated feature.)
On the opening of ‘Art in the Streets’ at MOCA: ‘I saw so many people I hadn’t seen in a while. Some you’re happy about, and others...’
Most earnest art lover’s thought: ‘I wish that when I was touring the world as a teenager I would have spent more time going to museums rather than spending all of my time just eating food.’
And yes, he does get recognized at the museum, by a group of 30 giggling teenagers on a school tour from West London.
-- Jori Finkel