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Mark Seliger, a famed photographer, has dipped into his vault and released a never before seen picture of Kendrick Lamar that will be auctioned off. The proceeds from the painting will go to COVID-19 relief.
The picture of Kendrick Lamar was taken in 2017 during his stop in New York for his world tour for his album, Damn.
“Kendrick is a true artist, he never turns off. When we took this, he performed at the Barclays Center, then went to his studio to record, finished at dawn, and then came to my studio,” Seliger told Complex of the experience working with Kendrick. “From there, he was super present and engaged during the shoot the entire time… Then he jumped on a plane again—like a true poet, he lifted my hands and went to the next town.”
The auction is a part of RADArt4Aid, which is a global fundraising and advocacy campaign started by Seliger himself. All of the proceeds will go to One Family LA, as chosen by Kendrick Lamar himself.
This portrait of Kendrick Lamar is not the only one that will be auctioned off, there are up to 25 notable figures –including Oprah, President Obama, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre– that will have various portraits offered off and the proceeds sent to charity.
“My career has been built on connecting with and understanding people and their stories with the desire to represent them in a way that is authentic and, in some cases, a bit fantastic. My team and I have curated a special group of prints for this auction that illustrate some of my favorite subjects and moments from the last 30 years,” said Seliger.
The auction begins today, May 28, on Christie’s and will last through June 12. The current bids are already in the thousands, so it looks like the auction will be a huge success.
