Auction introduction: Sotheby’s is honored to host this prestigious auction on behalf of the Nina Simone Childhood Home Preservation Project. The auction is part of a multifaceted fundraiser co-presented with the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and Pace Gallery. Co-curated by the artist Adam Pendleton and the tennis champion, entrepreneur, and arts patron Venus Williams, this auction will feature works by internationally renowned contemporary artists, with proceeds supporting the Nina Simone Childhood Home preservation project. Spearheaded by the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund—a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation—the restoration project aims to fully restore and preserve the birthplace of musical icon and civil rights activist Nina Simone. Located in Tryon, North Carolina, Simone’s 650-square-foot, three-room childhood home was purchased by Pendleton and fellow artists Ellen Gallagher, Rashid Johnson, and Julie Mehretu in 2017, and it was designated a national treasure by the National Trust in 2018. The auction includes artworks by Pendleton, Gallagher, Johnson, and Mehretu as well as Cecily Brown, Robert Longo, Mary Weatherford, and Stanley Whitney—with additional artists to be announced. All works in the auction will be on view to the public at Pace Gallery in New York from May 12–20. On May 20, Pace Gallery will host a major fundraising gala in support of the Nina Simone Childhood Home preservation project at its 540 West 25th Street flagship in New York. To inquire about purchasing tickets for the gala dinner, please contact ninasimone@pacegallery.com. Register for updates at pacegallery.com/nina-simone.