In Daniel Humm‘s debut as a Sotheby’s guest curator, the Eleven Madison Park chef approached his selection of artworks with the same rhythm and intentionality as he does in the culinary world. “Art has always been a vital part of my life,” he tells CULTURED. “Curating this auction felt very much like creating a menu at EMP.” This isn’t mere metaphor—for someone who has spent decades orchestrating experiences that engage the senses holistically, the parallels between composing a meal and composing an exhibition run deep.
The roots of this curatorial approach trace back to a transformative moment Humm had while visiting the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, where an encounter with the quiet breadth of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies prompted him to slow down. Resonating with artists like Roni Horn, Alex Katz, and Keith Haring, Humm gravitates towards a sense of stillness and contemplation, while also including the boldness of unexpected expression when making his selections. Below, he talks to CULTURED about the parallels between food and art, his personal influences and artistic connections, and how he sees curation as a shared experience, rather than an individual project.
CULTURED: How did you approach selecting works for the Contemporary Curated sale?
Daniel Humm: I wanted the selection to feel intentional, to have rhythm, almost like the progression of a meal, where each course, or in this case, each work, is in dialogue with the next. Together they create an experience that is greater than any single moment. One of the most profound influences on my creative journey was standing in front of Monet’s Water Lilies at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris. The stillness and expansiveness of those panels invited me to simply slow down and be present. That experience changed the way I think about food. It taught me that a plate, like a painting, can hold more than sustenance; it can hold atmosphere, meditation, memory. I carried that feeling with me into this curation.
CULTURED: Were there particular artists or movements that resonated with you most while making these selections?
Humm: I tend to gravitate toward artists I admire and often consider friends; people whose work has become part of my life in a personal way. Roni Horn, for example, is a dear friend and someone I deeply respect. Her work, especially Key and Cue, transforms text into presence, inviting you to slow down and sit with words until they feel eternal. That sense of stillness and contemplation is something I’ve always tried to carry into my own world. At the same time, artists like Alex Katz and Keith Haring bring such clarity and immediacy of expression. Their voices are bold, human, and direct; a reminder that sometimes the most powerful language is also the simplest.
Humm: All of these works are so incredible, but I think it would have to be the Sarah Crowner piece. Her work has an incredible sense of movement and precision that I find so inspiring. I love the idea of living with a piece that invites reflection and sparks a dialogue around a table. To me, a dining room is where people connect, share stories, and come together over a shared meal and her work feels perfectly in tune with that.
Humm: What surprised me most was how deeply the act of curating art mirrors the act of creating a meal. Both are about weaving together disparate elements into a story that feels at once unexpected and inevitable. It reaffirmed something I’ve always believed: creativity, whether on a canvas or on a plate, comes from the same source. It’s about generosity, about giving a part of yourself and inviting others to the table to share in it.
CULTURED: How have you pulled from your background in fine dining curation, in order to build out the world of this sale?
Humm: In my world, every detail matters: the pacing of a meal, the silence between courses, the texture of a surface. That same philosophy shaped this curation. When I look at these works together, I see a journey: moments of intensity balanced by moments of calm, bold gestures countered by quiet whispers. Just as a dish is always more than the sum of its ingredients, a collection is always more than the sum of its works. My hope is that moving through this collection feels like moving through a great meal: layered, surprising, comforting, and filled with moments that linger long after the experience ends.
The live Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated auction will take place on September 26 in New York.
in your life?
