Sotheby’s Taps Karl-Anthony Towns for Curated Sale, Plans Dining Concept During Art Basel Paris

Sotheby’s will hold a sale curated by basketball star Karl-Anthony Towns, and the auction house will also launch a selling exhibition-restaurant during Art Basel Paris. The dual initiative pairs celebrity curation with a hospitality format, marking an expansion of Sotheby’s programming around the Paris fair. The sale curated by Towns is a distinct event from the selling exhibition-restaurant, which will operate during Art Basel Paris. No dates, additional participants, or venue details were disclosed in the source material. The moves reflect Sotheby’s ongoing strategy to blend art sales with lifestyle and entertainment elements, timed to coincide with one of Europe’s major art fairs. By involving a high-profile athlete as curator, the auction house courts new audiences and media attention beyond traditional collecting circles. The selling exhibition-restaurant format combines commerce with dining, a model increasingly used by auction houses and galleries to create immersive, social experiences around fairs. Art Basel Paris serves as the backdrop, drawing international collectors, dealers, and institutions to the French capital. Sotheby’s has not specified the works, artists, or menu for either project. The announcement positions the auction house alongside broader industry efforts to merge art, celebrity, and hospitality during major fair weeks.