Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods at Sotheby's New York, on September 10.Photo Rick Wenner

Fresh off Knicks Championship, NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns to Curate a Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Sale with Lifestyle Mogul Jordyn Woods

by · ARTnews

The stars of the basketball court and the lifestyle industry meet the stars of the art market at Sotheby’s on October 7.

Six-time NBA all-star Karl-Anthony Towns, center for the 2026 champions the New York Knickerbockers, and lifestyle entrepreneur and model Jordyn Woods will organize a “Contemporary Curated” art auction at the house. The 10-lot sale will itself feature high scorers (on the market): John Chamberlain, George Condo, Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Gilliam, Rashid Johnson, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha, Alma Thomas, and Andy Warhol.

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“Art holds memories and tells stories,” Towns and Woods, who are married, said in a joint statement. “Each work in this sale resonated with us for a different reason, and together they reflect the people, places, and experiences that continue to shape our perspective as collectors.”

Past star curators of the Contemporary Curated sale have included Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, Michelin-starred chef Daniel Humm, TV mogul Ryan Murphy, singer-actress Kelly Rowland, and entertainment multi-hyphenate Oprah Winfrey.

In the upcoming sale, two works are tied for top estimated lot, with a high estimate of $3.5 million each.

Andy Warhol’s 1964 acrylic-and-silkscreen Flowers comes from the collection of architect and former dean of the Yale School of Architecture Robert A.M. Stern. “Flowers remind us of family, of remembrance, and of the garden we hope to create one day,” said Woods.

Roy Lichtenstein, Green Head (1979).

Bearing the same high estimate is Lichtenstein’s Green Head (1979), from his Expressionist series, in which he explored a hot aesthetic of an early modern art movement through the cool lens of Pop. “I love seeing something that’s different from what people usually associate with him,” said Towns. The work comes to auction ahead of a major retrospective of the artist at the Whitney Museum in New York, opening next month.

Another big-ticket item is the 1974 Frankenthaler green-and-blue abstraction Return and Exit, with a high estimate of $2 million.

Towns, besides his All-Star distinction, is a past NBA Rookie of the Year. He joined the Knicks in 2024, two years before they clinched the NBA Championship for the first time since 1973, this June. Woods is an entrepreneur and model and founder of Woods by Jordan, a lifestyle brand offering clothing, accessories, and home products.