“The Way We Live Now”: The George Economou Collection presents its first contemporary group exhibition

The George Economou Collection opens a new chapter in its exhibition programme with The Way We Live Now, its first contemporary group exhibition drawn exclusively from the collection’s holdings. Bringing together works by leading international artists, the exhibition explores how contemporary art reflects, questions and reimagines the social, political and emotional realities of our time.

The exhibition takes its title from Anthony Trollope’s 1875 novel The Way We Live Now, a sharp critique of power, wealth and ambition during the industrial age. More than 150 years later, the questions raised by Trollope remain strikingly relevant. Contemporary artists continue to engage with the forces that shape modern life, examining how politics, economics, desire and personal experience influence both artistic creation and the way we perceive the world around us.

Structured around three interconnected themes – Intimacy, Politics and Being – the exhibition unfolds as a journey through different aspects of contemporary existence.

The first section, Intimacy, focuses on the emotional and subjective dimensions of life. Through painting, sculpture and other media, artists investigate love, desire, memory and human connection, asking what intimacy means in an increasingly mediated world. The works reveal both the tenderness and complexity of personal relationships, offering deeply individual perspectives on emotional experience.

In Politics, attention shifts to the body and its place within larger social and political structures. Questions of freedom, agency and collective identity emerge as central concerns. The artists examine what it means to belong to a society, to navigate systems of power and to maintain an independent spirit in a world marked by division and uncertainty. The body becomes both a site of vulnerability and a vehicle for resistance, reflection and change.

The final section, Being, considers the nature of existence itself. Here, artists explore themes of presence, solitude, connection and transformation through works that range from the lyrical to the critical. The female form, the naked body and the sculptural figure appear as recurring motifs, serving as vessels through which artists investigate energy, desire, fragility and resilience. Together, these works reflect on the joys and challenges of living alongside others while also confronting the experience of isolation.

Throughout the exhibition, the relationship between artist and subject remains central. The works on view invite visitors to consider not only what is represented but also how artistic vision shapes our understanding of reality. In this sense, The Way We Live Now becomes both a reflection of contemporary life and a meditation on the role of art in helping us navigate it.

The exhibition is co-curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, educator and The New Yorker contributor Hilton Als and Ann Philbin, Director Emeritus of the Hammer Museum and recipient of the 2025 Getty Prize, in close collaboration with Skarlet Smatana, Director of the George Economou Collection.

Accompanying the exhibition is a publication featuring contributions by Hilton Als, Lisa Brice, Heather Ives, Ben Okri and Charles Ray, extending the dialogue initiated by the works on view and offering further perspectives on the complexities of contemporary life.

Bringing together artists from different generations, backgrounds and artistic traditions, The Way We Live Now creates a rich dialogue around the complexities of contemporary life. The exhibition features works by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Lucas Arruda, Lisa Brice, Xinyi Cheng, Ellen Gallagher, David Hammons, David Hockney, Katharina Fritsch, Allison Katz, Florian Krewer, Victor Man, Charles Ray, Andy Robert, Jenny Saville, Mohammed Sami, Lorna Simpson, Henry Taylor, and the late Louise Bourgeois. Through painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media, these artists explore themes of intimacy, identity, power, memory, freedom and human connection, offering a multifaceted portrait of what it means to live in the world today.