Modern Luxury Media Joins Forces With Contemporary Artist Mr. Brainwash To Auction Original Art Piece From Cover Art of Its Special Issue

On the heels of the successful launch of The Hope Issue, the nation's largest luxury media company generates a virtual auction experience to continue to raise money for Feeding America COVID-19 Response Fund

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Modern Luxury Media

Jun 16, 2020, 13:00 ET

NEW YORK, June 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Modern Luxury Media has opened a virtual auction to support COVID-19 relief. For the auction, pop artist Mr. Brainwash created a one-of-a-kind painting based on the cover art used in Modern Luxury's special edition, The Hope Issue, which is available for bid through July 5th.

The original art piece, titled Hold On To Hope, fuses pop imagery with cultural iconography by showcasing a balloon that signifies love and hope for the world. The reserve auction price begins at $20,000 and all proceeds will go directly to Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund.

Just last month, Modern Luxury media launched The Hope Issue which celebrates and sheds light on national and local heroes during the global COVID-19 crisis. Spearheaded by Modern Luxury's SVP of Editorial Phebe Wahl, The Hope Issue was assembled remotely and featured inspiring profiles and interviews from: Bill Gates, Sarah Arison, Ralph Lauren, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and more.

"We are thrilled to be working with Mr. Brainwash and his team for this special auction," said Phebe Wahl, SVP of Editorial at Modern Luxury. "The importance of coming together is more apparent today and the days to come. We feel it's our mission to partner with today's leaders in order to set new agendas for progress and hope. We know Hold On To Hope will serve as a vehicle for continued change forward."

Artist Thierry Guetta, known under the pseudonym Mr. Brainwash has earned a global following for his provocative works. His magical mashup of street and pop art was the subject of Academy Award-nominated documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, and his collaborations range from album covers for Madonna to partnerships with brands like Hublot, Coca-Cola and Marvel Comics.

As a longtime advocate and philanthropist, Mr. Brainwash has created pieces to support the Los Angeles LGBT Center and murals to honor 9/11 victims and has partnered with Product RED to raise AIDS awareness. His charitable collaborations include meeting with former first lady Michelle Obama in support of her organization, Let Girls Learn, and with Pope Francis in Rome to raise funds for Scholas, the pope's personal foundation to serve global youth. For this issue, Mr. Brainwash "wanted to do a balloon representing America all together," he shares of his inspiration for the work. "It's love; it's the heart—the whole [country] together, and we're not going to give up. We are going to make it happen, and we are going to fight for it. We are going to win because we have hope."

Bid on this original piece of art created by Mr. Brainwash inspired by The Hope Issue, titled Hold On To Hope by visiting HopeIssue.com through July 5.

About MODERN LUXURY MEDIA: At Modern Luxury, connection and community define who we are. Reaching an audience of more than 16 million, we are the nation's largest luxury media company offering leading brands access to the most affluent audiences in the most prominent cities across the U.S. Through the power of the Modern Luxury Media ecosystem including 85+ brands across 22 markets, we deliver powerful marketing solutions allowing luxury brands to connect with their audiences in the places and ways that matter the most. Visit modernluxurymedia.com and find us on Instagram or follow us on Twitter.

About FEEDING AMERICA: Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

CONTACT: Raquel Cadourcy, [email protected]

SOURCE Modern Luxury Media