In a Surprise Partnership, Sales of a Thomas Kinkade Print Depicting a Roll of Toilet Paper Will Go to Support Shuttered NADA Galleries

We are living in strange times indeed.

The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), the
nonprofit that hosts cutting-edge art fairs for emerging artists
and galleries around the US, is partnering with the Kinkade Family Foundation, the organization
set up in 2012 by the heirs of the late Thomas Kinkade, the
born-again Christian painter known for his kitschy, some might say
saccharine, scenes of country homes and landscapes.

Starting today, the Kinkade Family Foundation will release
prints based on a never-before-seen artwork by the artist, with the
proceeds supporting NADA’s members galleries around the US. But
this Kinkade work features not a cozy hearth at Christmastime, but
a roll of toilet paper.

“Locked away from public view for decades and
stored in Thomas Kinkade’s hidden vault, this painting represents
one of the most symbolic items of the COVID-19 crisis: the toilet
paper roll,” explains a statement from the foundation.

Through the end of 2020, 100 percent of the net proceeds of the
sale of Untitled (Toilet Paper) will be donated to NADA’s
fund to support galleries most impacted by COVID-19. The
application and guidelines will be released in the coming
weeks.

“It was surprising when someone [from the
foundation] reached out that way to want to help,” NADA
executive director Heather Hubbs told Artnet News. “It’s an
interesting moment to see what’s happening in the
world.”

The Kinkade Foundation contacted NADA after it
had penned an open letter to New York officials demanding financial
relief for galleries shuttered by COVID-19. NADA has also
spearheaded a relief petition for
galleries and artists, which has garnered 28,000 signatories so
far, and it has advocated for a Senate bill that would suspend rent
for small businesses such as galleries.

Under the new partnership, three versions of Untitled
(Toilet Paper) will be available for purchase on the Kinkade Foundation
website: there’s a limited-edition of 100 print on stretched
canvas that’s been hand highlighted by the artist’s daughter,
Winsor Kinkade, which sells for $750; an open edition print for
$150; and an open edition 100-piece puzzle, for $45.

“We are grateful for NADA’s
generosity towards the emerging galleries and artists who are the
heartbeat of the art world and who are facing economic challenges
during this unprecedented period,” said a statement from the
Kinkade Family Foundation, which is run by the artist’s widow,
Nanette, and her four daughters. “This is what our father would
have wanted, and through this, we hope to shed a positive light
during this time of uncertainty.”

The post In a Surprise Partnership, Sales of a Thomas
Kinkade Print Depicting a Roll of Toilet Paper Will Go to Support
Shuttered NADA Galleries appeared first on artnet
News.