Brooke Shields, the model-turned actress, is becoming a serious art collector.
“The Keith Harings and Andy Warhols hanging on her walls were not purchases, but gifts from the artists, who were her friends when she was growing up and a high-profile model,” writes Robin Pogrebin of The New York Times. Nevertheless, “Shields, 51, has come to realize that those pieces have significantly more than sentimental value. And through her increasing involvement with the New York Academy of Art, where she joined the board last year, Ms. Shields has begun to take collecting more seriously.”
As a model, Shields spent time around famous photographers like Richard Avedon, who shot her memorable Calvin Klein ads. She also spent time with the fashion photographer Bruce Weber. The paparazzi photographer Ron Galella gave Shields his “Windblown Jackie” image of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Haring and Warhol were integral parts of her life. “They never said no to coming to a birthday party and bringing presents,” Shields says. “I was so lucky that these artists were my family.”