Sharon Stone is a Hollywood philanthropist and one of the most prolific humans of our generation. This past week, she sat down with Pulitzer Prize winner and critic Jerry Saltz on 92nd Street in NYC. They had a candid conversation about her entertainment industry career and her early years as a talented artisan.
Throughout the conversation, Stone delves deep into her past as an adolescent in Pennsylvania. Growing up in a working-class setting, she recalls how her family struggled to make ends meet. The situation has drastically changed since she was thrust into stardom by her iconic film Basic Instinct. Fast forward, Stone speaks about her life after suffering a massive heart attack and how she lost custody of her children after a painful divorce. Moreover, she recalls meeting some of the Israeli hostages and their families in her LA home.
The audience was nearly moved by Stone’s brutal honesty, which rekindled her insatiable desire to paint. While procuring supplies at an arts and crafts store in West Hollywood, she initiated her transition from a powerful performer to a provocative painter. Some of her pieces are tangible and showcase her inner strength as well as her perseverance. Her technique is far from conventional (acrylics, spray paint, color pencils) and the canvas is large. Her works can easily cover an entire accent wall and show signs of eminence. Furthermore, she discusses her scientific research, college education, and her dedication to the international community. This past Friday, she was awarded the coveted ‘Global Citizen of the Year‘ by the United Nations.
After receiving a standing ovation, Sharon Stone reminded us of the importance of putting one’s self first, understanding the importance of self-care, coupled with self-worth.
Despite losing her father to Hamas, this Noble Peace Summit and Harvard Humanitarian Awardee has pledged to continue spreading awareness about terrorism and its negative impact on our global society.
Her latest collection can be viewed at C. Parker Gallery in Greenwich.
More on Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone is an internationally recognized actress, producer, humanitarian and New York Times bestselling author of her recent book The Beauty of Living Twice. Her film and television credits include Basic Instinct and Casino, for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in 1996 and an Academy Award nomination for her leading role opposite Robert de Niro in Martin Scorsese’s crime drama.
Stone received two more Golden Globe Award nominations for her roles in The Mighty (1998) and The Muse (1999). Other film credits include Sliver (1993), The Specialist (1994), The Quick and the Dead (1995), Last Dance (1996), Sphere (1998), Broken Flowers (2005), Alpha Dog (2006), Bobby (2006), and Lovelace (2013) among others. Stone’s television credits include roles in limited series such as Netlix’s Ratched (2020), HBO’s Mosaic (2017), The New Pope (2019), as well as The Practice (2004), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
A Human Rights Campaign Humanitarian and an Einstein Spirit of Achievement Awardee, Stone currently lives in Los Angeles with her three sons.
About Jerry Saltz
Jerry Saltz is the Senior Art Critic for New York magazine, where he writes about the constantly shifting dynamics of the art world, from up-and-coming artists to billionaire collectors to the role of criticism. Hailed as a “critic of the people” by Architectural Digest, he democratizes art for a broad audience through his irreverent column and his social media channels, where has nearly one million followers. In 2018, he won the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism for “My Life as a Failed Artist,” an essay about how his disappointing career as an artist is responsible for his success as a critic.
Saltz’s viral New York cover story, “How to Be an Artist,” sold nearly 400,000 print editions of the magazine and gained over 250,000 readers online, ultimately earning a National Magazine Award. In this daring to-do list for aspiring creatives, Saltz shared answers to the questions artists ask the most: “How do I get started? How do I get better? And is this even art at all?” Jerry Saltz’s book, also entitled How to Be an Artist, expands on his prize-winning piece with dozens of brand new guidelines, exercises, prompts, and tips designed to help artists do what they do best—create. In his entertaining lectures, he dispenses valuable advice for amateurs and professionals alike, along with sharp analysis of the role of criticism in the art world today.
Saltz has been a columnist for New York magazine since 2007. Formerly, he was the senior art critic for The Village Voice for almost ten years, where he was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. A frequent guest lecturer, he has spoken at the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum, and many others, and has appeared at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Art Institute of Chicago, and elsewhere. He has also contributed to Art in America, Flash Art International, Frieze, and Modern Painters, among other publications. He was the sole advisor for the 1995 Whitney Biennial. In 2007, he received the Frank Jewett Mather Award for art criticism. Jerry Saltz has received honorary doctorates from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Kansas City Art Institute. He was born and raised in Chicago and now lives in New York City. His most recent book is Art Is Life.
