{"id":176774,"date":"2025-12-10T00:10:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T00:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/176774\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T00:10:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T00:10:12","slug":"inside-my-collection-michael-sherman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/176774\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside My Collection: Michael Sherman"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael Sherman collects the way he produces films: with an artist-first, public-facing ethos. He champions emerging voices and helps a large audience see their work. <\/p>\n

The film producer co-founded Bow & Arrow Entertainment in 2014, devoted to artist-driven narrative and documentary work. This year, he produced two films by young filmmakers: Horsegirls and A Photographic Memory. In 2019, he produced American artist Rashid Johnson<\/a>\u2019s debut feature film, Native Son.<\/p>\n

Sherman began buying art in 2006 and has built an eclectic, lived-with collection in his Los Angeles home; his collection started with a Banksy<\/a> print and a Noah Davis<\/a> painting. Today, it spans artists such as Devin N. Morris<\/a> and Joyce J. Scott<\/a>; upstairs, his six-year-old daughter\u2019s room doubles as its own micro-gallery populated with works by Katherine Bradford<\/a>, Grace Metzler<\/a>, and Thornton Dial<\/a>, among others.<\/p>\n

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Installation view of Michael Sherman\u2019s Los Angeles home, featuring works by Salmon Toor (left) and Jon Pylypchuk (right). Photo by Stephanie Noritz for Artsy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love when you support an artist because you love their work: You\u2019re able to tell somebody about it and give them background and story\u2014it makes other people gravitate toward that work,\u201d Sherman told Artsy.<\/p>\n

Part of his collecting story intertwines with his longtime friend, the chef-restaurateur Vinny Dotolo. The pair founded Spaghetti Western, a shared collection created to champion artists they love and make the work public. Its first major outing, \u201cWhere the Real Lies,\u201d appeared at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art in Maine earlier this year, featuring work by Sasha Gordon<\/a>, Louis Fratino<\/a>, and Dominique Fung<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Sherman\u2019s collecting is also deeply connected to institutions. After a galvanizing encounter with Kerry James Marshall<\/a>\u2019s 2017 MOCA<\/a> show, Sherman funded $25,000 in buses for students. \u201cI really think that young people should see this show,\u201d Sherman told Artsy. \u201cIt was life-changing for me. It literally introduced me into the museum world.\u201d He was also a member of the Hammer Museum<\/a>\u2019s board and is a current trustee of the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). \u201cI feel like everybody should be in a museum, and every young person should be able to walk into a museum and see an example of themselves and know that anything is possible,\u201d Sherman said.<\/p>\n

This summer, we caught up with Sherman to discuss his collection, his relationship with artists, and why he believes it\u2019s his responsibility as a collector to share his art with the public. <\/p>\n

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Portrait of Michael Sherman at his home in Los Angeles, seated in front of Toyin Ojih Odutola\u2019s This Is How You Were Made; Final Stages (2019). Photo by Stephanie Noritz for Artsy.<\/p>\n

Maxwell Rabb: Let\u2019s start at the beginning of your collecting journey. What was the first piece of art you acquired? <\/p>\n

Michael Sherman: In 2006, Banksy had a show in Los Angeles. There was this giant pink elephant, and it was one of the coolest things I\u2019d ever seen. <\/p>\n

I was already into Banksy, and I didn\u2019t have much money to collect, so I was buying street art<\/a> prints. When I went to the show, I ended up getting a Banksy and was super stoked. <\/p>\n

Then, I ended up meeting Noah Davis through Chris and Beth Gibbs, who owned this store called Union. They had this [Davis] piece up, and I thought, \u201cThat\u2019s amazing.\u201d They sent me over to the Underground Museum [a now-defunct art gallery co-founded by Davis]. I ended up getting this Davis piece called Mary Jane. It was the first time I bought a painting. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Portrait of Michael Sherman at his home in Los Angeles, lying next to Luis Flores\u2019s Tornado (2023). Photo by Stephanie Noritz for Artsy.<\/p>\n

M.R.: Where did your collecting journey go from there? <\/p>\n

M.S.: Somebody told me, \u201cYou should go to Art Basel Miami Beach.\u201d So, I flew down there, and I knew nothing. <\/p>\n

I walked around this fair, thinking that you could just buy stuff. I had no idea how art fairs worked, so I\u2019d say to galleries, \u201cOh, this is cool. Can I buy it?\u201d and they\u2019d say, \u201cWho are you?\u201d I\u2019d say, \u201cI\u2019m trying to find stuff for my walls.\u201d They\u2019d say, \u201cThere\u2019s a list.\u201d I said, \u201cCan I get on the list?…. Put me at the bottom.\u201d <\/p>\n

I got back to L.A., and I met Wes Lang<\/a> through a friend of mine. I went to his studio, fell in love with his work, and bought a bunch of it. <\/p>\n

Then, Lang said, \u201cYou should meet my friend Eddie Martinez<\/a>.\u201d When I met Eddie, he said, \u201cYou should meet my girlfriend, Sam Moyer<\/a>,\u201d and I met Sam\u2026.That was my entrance to art.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Portrait of Michael Sherman at his home in Los Angeles, seated in front of Robert Colescott\u2019s The Philosopher at the Bathers\u2019 Pool (1984) and Naudline Pierre\u2019s Love’s Final Abyss (2023). Photo by Stephanie Noritz for Artsy.<\/p>\n

M.R.: From there, how would you describe your approach as you began the collection?<\/p>\n

M.S.: I started my collection organically. I\u2019d meet an artist and be like, \u201cI really like your work. I\u2019d like to buy one for my house.\u201d Then, I went to the LAXART fair with Vinny in 2013, and that was the first time I went with somebody to see art. <\/p>\n

We bought a work by Nathaniel Mellors<\/a>. I then started buying from galleries, works by Sarah Crowner<\/a> and Garth Weiser<\/a>. By 2015, I had to get a storage unit. That was the moment I realized I might be an art collector.<\/p>\n

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Installation view of Michael Sherman\u2019s Los Angeles home, left to right: Grace Weaver\u2019s Floor-painting (2023) and Kathy Bradford\u2019s Superheroes (2023). Photo by Stephanie Noritz for Artsy.<\/p>\n

M.R.: You\u2019ve built a career as a film producer and worked on Native Son, Rashid Johnson\u2019s first feature film. How did you first meet Rashid, and how did your involvement with Native Son come together from that first conversation to the finished film?<\/p>\n

M.S.: My business partner got a call that Rashid Johnson wanted to make a movie. So, we had breakfast and got on well. One of my favorite stories is I\u2019m sitting with Rashid at this diner by his house, and I asked, \u201cWho\u2019s going to write it?\u201d He tells me [playwright and screenwriter] Suzan-Lori Parks. I thought, \u201cWhoa! This guy is serious.\u201d <\/p>\n

That\u2019s when I knew Rashid really was a true media savant. His mixed-media works are among my favorites, and he\u2019s a natural storyteller. We went to his show at David Kordansky<\/a>. It was such a beautiful show, and we left the next day to film Native Son. <\/p>\n

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Installation view of Michael Sherman\u2019s Los Angeles home, left to right: Kylie Manning\u2019s Archipelago (2023) and Mosie Romney\u2019s Multiple Selves (2020). Photo by Stephanie Noritz for Artsy.<\/p>\n

M.R.: You have the titular Native Son piece in your home. Can you say how the work came about and what it means to you?<\/p>\n

M.S.: We started shooting Native Son, and I had been talking to an artist about making a piece for this big, giant wall in our house. Rashid came over, and he was like, \u201cGive me that wall!\u201d<\/p>\n

He made me the 7-by-10-foot mammoth brass piece that literally took eight guys to install. They had to reinforce my wall. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a very personal piece. The book Native Son is in it. He was kind enough to be thoughtful and make a piece like that for my house. <\/p>\n

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Installation view of Michael Sherman\u2019s Los Angeles home, left to right: Ra\u00fal de Nieves\u2019s Timothy (2022) and Rashid Johnson\u2019s Native Son (c. 2018). Photo by Stephanie Noritz for Artsy.<\/p>\n

M.R.: Are there other works in your L.A. home that you\u2019re excited about right now?<\/p>\n

M.S.: American artist Luis Flores<\/a>. Luis and I have become really good friends. I\u2019ve supported his practice, and I helped give a work of his to the Hammer Museum. I have this piece of him fighting himself. I normally put it on our guest bed because it makes me laugh. When people walk in, it looks like they\u2019re fighting on the bed. My wife berates me about it.<\/p>\n

Another special piece is by Doreen Garner, from her solo show at JTT (one of my favorite galleries, Rest in Peace). It\u2019s a gramophone with silicone and hair. I put the headphones on and started listening to it. It was the recording of Sandra Bland [a Black woman who was murdered in custody days after being arrested at a traffic stop], called From the Larynx, Sandra. I walked out of there and I couldn\u2019t stop crying. <\/p>\n

I remember thinking to myself, \u201cThis can\u2019t not go somewhere.\u201d I called her back and told her, \u201cIf you don\u2019t place it in a museum, I\u2019ll buy it and gift it to a museum.\u201d That\u2019s the power of art. A piece like that should never be left behind.<\/p>\n

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Installation view of Michael Sherman\u2019s Los Angeles home, left to right: Thornton Dial\u2019s The Last Hour of the Day (2001) and Shinique Smith\u2019s Dark Matter (2016\/19). Photo by Stephanie Noritz for Artsy.<\/p>\n

M.R.: Tell us about the works in your daughter\u2019s room. <\/p>\n

M.S.: My daughter\u2019s room has works by Grace Weaver, Katherine Bradford, Kylie Manning<\/a>, mosie romney<\/a>, Thornton Dial, Shinique Smith<\/a>, and Hangama Amiri<\/a>. It\u2019s a lot of women for her to look up to and respect. It\u2019s this beautifully textured, colorful room to get lost in as a young lady. She\u2019s told me to take a couple down. I won\u2019t name names, but we moved a couple out.<\/p>\n

M.R.: Is there a work that you were thrilled to walk away with?<\/p>\n

M.S.: Robert Colescott<\/a>\u2019s The Philosopher at the Bathers\u2019 Pool from 1984. I had been trying for two years at auction and kept losing because it would go over my number.<\/p>\n

M.R.: Has your experience in film shaped how you look at and collect art?<\/p>\n

M.S.: Making movies influenced my art collecting. I had worked for [music producer] Babyface for a few years, and I became obsessed with American Idol. I sat in the second row and watched Kelly Clarkson win.<\/p>\n

American Idol showed you that a great singer is a great singer\u2014it doesn\u2019t matter who they are, what they look like\u2026people respond to greatness. When I started collecting art, I curated my collection to support first-time filmmakers and underrepresented voices. I still make documentaries even if I can\u2019t make money, because I have to help people get their stories out. <\/p>\n

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Installation view of Michael Sherman\u2019s Los Angeles home, left to right: Awol Erizku\u2019s Moonlight Freestyle (2021), Joyce J. Scott\u2019s Dead Albino Boy for Sale (2021\u201322), and Andy Robert\u2019s Indigo and Alan Holt (Bathing) (2016). Photo by Stephanie Noritz for Artsy.<\/p>\n

M.R.: Tell me about you and Vinny Dotolo. How did you start collecting together? <\/p>\n

M.S.: Vinny is one of my favorite people on earth, and he comes from the same place I do\u2014he\u2019s a true patron of the arts. <\/p>\n

One day, I was offered a Christina Forrer piece I couldn\u2019t afford. On the phone, I said it would be cool to set up a group where everyone puts up, and we collect out of love, share the works, and see them travel. Vinny said, \u201cI\u2019ll do that with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because Vinny is a restaurateur and he\u2019s Italian, and because Westerns are my favorite, I said we should call it Spaghetti Western, and that\u2019s how it stuck. <\/p>\n

Honestly, we\u2019re crazy and got a little obsessed. The pandemic really sped us up. At one point, I made a list and said, \u201cHoly shit, dude, we\u2019ve got to chill\u2014we have 114 artists in our collection.\u201d It\u2019s a collection with so many beautiful people and stories in it, and there\u2019s no one I\u2019d rather do it with than Vinny. Our wives make fun of us and call us \u201cart bros.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Installation view of Michael Sherman\u2019s Los Angeles home: Naudline Pierre\u2019s Love’s Final Abyss (2023) (right). Photo by Stephanie Noritz for Artsy.<\/p>\n

M.R.: Before we wrap, who\u2019s the most recent artist you\u2019ve discovered? <\/p>\n

M.S.: A few weeks ago, I was talking with Ga\u00ebtane Verna (director of the Wexner Center for the Arts), and I said I hadn\u2019t seen many new artists that wowed me. She said, \u201cYou might like Brenda Draney<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n

She introduced me to Brenda, and every painting she shows me, I love. That\u2019s the best part of collecting. I\u2019m working on acquiring a painting, and I love the work. <\/p>\n

She\u2019s telling a beautiful story about her upbringing, her life, and what it\u2019s like being Indigenous in Canada.<\/p>\n

Header: Portrait of Michael Sherman at his home in Los Angeles, seated in front of Harold Ancart, Untitled, 2020. Photo by Stephanie Noritz for Artsy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Michael Sherman collects the way he produces films: with an artist-first, public-facing ethos. He champions emerging voices and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176775,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[437,434,435,436,39744,438,146,85,46,22410],"class_list":{"0":"post-176774","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-collector-profiles","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-il","16":"tag-israel","17":"tag-maxwell-rabb"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}