Lecture Series

Public Talks and Lectures

November 14th, 2016

In addition to The Brant Foundation Lecture Series, Peter Brant and Allison Brant continue to participate in public talks and lectures hosted by numerous institutions across the world.

The Brant Foundation organizes classroom workshops at colleges and universities.  Specifically-designed to coincide with individual course curriculum, these lectures encourage and support student art endeavors and the study of contemporary art. Learn more about our classroom lectures and student programs. 

The Brant Foundation Lecture in Contemporary Art at Bard

Art Talk: Collector Peter M. Brant with Bonnie Clearwater

Peter M. Brant is an entrepreneur, manufacturing executive, publisher, philanthropist, sportsman and art collector, whose eclectic mix of personal interests and commercial ventures have resulted in achievements in business, philanthropy and the arts.

Mr. Brant is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Greenwich, Connecticut-based White Birch Paper, among the largest newsprint manufacturers in the world. Among Mr. Brant’s longest held personal passions is contemporary art. His well-regarded collection includes works by contemporary masters Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol, among many other notable artists. His interest in art led him into film producing, including Andy Warhol’s Bad (1977), Basquiat (1996), Pollock (2000), Andy Warhol: A Documentary (2006), The Homesman (2014), and more recently Paint (2023). He is the founder of the Greenwich Polo Club, co-founder of the Bridgehampton Polo Club, and the co-founder of the Saratoga Polo Association. He is also the founder and owner of White Birch Farm, which has bred and campaigned many famous thoroughbred racehorses.

As his primary philanthropic focus, Mr. Brant established The Brant Foundation, Inc. and The Brant Foundation Art Study Center, both based in Greenwich, CT. The organizations promote education and appreciation of contemporary art and design. The Brant Foundation, Inc. makes artwork available to institutions and individuals for scholarly study, examination and loan. The Brant Foundation Art Study Center mounts exhibitions open to the public by appointment at no charge.

Mr. Brant published many of Andy Warhol’s prints including the series of ten Mao prints in 1972, an edition of which he donated to NSU Art Museum. These prints are currently on view in Hooray for Hollywood. Artwork by Karen Kilimnik on view in the current exhibition The Swans are on loan from The Brant Foundation.

Image: Courtesy of Peter M. Brant. Photography by Patrick Demarchelier.

Body of Work: Contemporary Artists’ Estates and Conservation

Contemporary artists’ estates are expected to grow dramatically in number over the next decade; they are increasingly represented in some fashion by major galleries and agencies or held in institutional archives. We believe that a symposium that engages contemporary artists’ estates and conservation from both institutional and market perspectives is essential and timely.

We hope to become mutually aware of the roles, challenges and capabilities of artists’ estates and conservators, and address together the following questions: Who makes the decisions in conservation when the artist is gone, and what informs these important choices? How can the complexity of contemporary art be maintained without the voice of the artist? At what point does, or should, the historical dimension of contemporary artworks come into play – and what are the implications of this for all stakeholders, including the artworks themselves?

These important questions are already being worked through today, and this symposium provides the opportunity to assess where we are, and where we are going. As such, these issues are relevant to all workers and stakeholders in the field of contemporary art, including living artists. We invite artist estate representatives, widow(er)s and heirs, conservators, gallerists, auction houses, artist assistants, fabricators, curators, art historians, art insurers, advisers and collectors for an open discussion regarding the changing landscape of contemporary artists’ estates, the market, and the imperative of keeping the material and intellectual integrity of the artwork in balance as these relative values shift in time and context.

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Julian Schnabel in Dialogue with Peter Brant

University of Michigan Museum of Art

This lecture was part of The University of Michigan Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series.

Celebrated for a visual language that brings together unexpected materials and radically unconventional techniques, artist Julian Schnabel has been a pioneering, and controversial, figure since his first solo exhibition in 1979. His paintings, sculptures, and works on paper have been the subject of numerous exhibitions at museums worldwide, including the recent exhibition of his work at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. For his Stamps Series appearance, Schnabel speaks with Peter Brant, leading art publisher (Art in America, Interview) and producer of Schabel's 1996 feature film, Basquiat. Schnabel's feature films also include Before Night Falls (2000), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), and Miral (2010).

In partnership with the University of Michigan Museum of Art with support from the Brant Foundation Art Study Center, Joseph and Annette Allen, the University of Michigan Office of the Provost, the University of Michigan Health System, the Richard and Rosann Noel Endowment Fund, and Retirement Income Solutions.

For more information, visit http://stamps.umich.edu/stamps

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Conversations on Collecting

Freize, New York

Peter M. Brant, President of The Brant Foundation, Inc. is pleased to participate at Frieze New York 2015. The fourth edition of the art fair joins Frieze London and Frieze Masters as one of the world’s leading art fairs. 190 of the world’s leading contemporary art galleries participated in the fair held on Randall’s Island Park, Manhattan, New York. With the exciting addition of new galleries in the Main, Frame, and Focus sections, artists are represented across the spectrum of late 20th and 21st century art. Furthermore, Spotlight – the discovery section first established at Frieze Masters – showcases historical material. Dynamic programming in partnership with leading curators, combines for a great event. Mr. Brant was pleased to be a part of “Conversations on Collecting,” a program of talks offering unique insight into what drives the world’s most active collectors and collecting institutions.

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Andy Warhol: Global Phenomenon

Hosted by the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies at the Museum at Guild Hall 

July 27, 2014
FAPE's (Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies) 11am panel discussion at Guild Hall, 158 Main Street, Andy Warhol: Global Phenomenon. Bob Colacello will moderate the panel discussion between Larry Gagosian, Donna De Salvo, Peter Brant, Jane Holzer, Alberto Mugrabi, and Aby Rosen. Peter M. Brant, President, was pleased to participate in this panel discussion. As stated by Joe Carole Lauder, Chairman to Mr. Brant, “Your insightful perspective lent so much to the discussions and meant a great deal to us all that you could take part in this extraordinary conversation." With deepest thanks and warm wishes, Joe Carole Lauder, Chairman, Eden Rafshoon, President, Darren Walker, Vice President, Jennifer Duncan Director.

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Conversations in Context: Peter Brant

The Philip Johnson Glass House

November 21, 2013
The Glass House is pleased to announce Peter M. Brant, Founder and President of The Brant Foundation, Inc. as part of the 2013 “Conversations in Context” series which invites leaders of creative fields to reflect on the site's past, present, and future, and to contribute their perspectives on the Glass House and its significance to contemporary debates. All proceeds from the sale of tickets to this event support Glass House educational programs, preservation projects, and general operations.

Film by Hudson Lines

Interview by Gwen North Reiss

Film courtesy of the Glass House.