Photograph © Adam Husted

In an effort to find the most authentic souvenir of Brooklyn, the Director joked about having gone down to the “heart of Brooklyn,” otherwise known as the Fulton Mall, to find these classic hooded sweatshirts for his visitors. He was obviously having a little fun with his guests since these sweatshirts (with lettering in the Brooklyn Museum’s signature Cyan Blue, of course) are in sharp contrast to the double-breasted tweed suits Gilbert & George always wear in public. Nevertheless, they both seemed delighted with their new matching apparel and to receive this very special memento of their visit to Brooklyn.

Following this very insightful—and entertaining—discussion, Gilbert & George headed down to the lobby where they were met by a long line of Members eager to get their exhibition catalogues signed by the artist. In addition to these catalogues, Gilbert & George amiably signed everything from invitations to prints, and even one Member’s tie…while he was still wearing it!

The final highlight of the evening was the raffle drawing for a limited-edition Gilbert & George print which Members could enter by making a donation to the Museum’s Annual Fund. Although only one Member walked away with this special edition, over 800 Members attended this event and had the special opportunity to get up close and personal with the artist! If you didn’t make it to the Preview, you can still get to know Gilbert & George in our special exhibition galleries until January 11.

Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Museum Member, Stephen Sandoval.

Also, be sure to check out more photos from this event in the Brooklyn Museum Members group on Flickr.

Photo courtesy mayotic via the Brooklyn Museum Group on Flickr. All Rights Reserved.

As Tamara noted, one of the most interesting things about putting on exhibitions for living artists is that the artists themselves often have a hand in how their work is viewed, and this is not just limited to the pieces in the exhibition. In this case, planning for the Members Preview and Reception was much more than just firing off a letter to all our Members and ordering some food from our caterer. For the © MURAKAMI Members Preview and Reception held on April 4, Murakami’s studio Kaikai Kiki helped design the invitation (seen above) and were only satisfied when the artist himself approved it.

Going into the night, there were two big unknowns: the number of people that would show up, and whether the artist was going to make an appearance. When 2,300 Members came, we were thrilled. And when the Takashi Murakami himself walked into the lobby, it was icing on the cake. He graciously shook hands, took pictures, and signed invitations (as you can see below) for over an hour, and our Members couldn’t have been happier. Maybe we should do exhibitions of living artists more often!

If you didn’t make it to the Members opening, the show is now open to the public through July 13. Come and check it out! You never know when the artist could show up…