Altoids Curiously Strong Collection was established in 1998 to honor and support emerging artists by providing meaningful exposure and recognition in a public art forum. With its distinctive and adventurous philosophy of visual arts patronage, the Collection has grown to become a valuable overview of the art of our time.

Each year a different group of highly regarded art world professionals is invited to identify and select new works for the Curiously Strong Collection from a large pool of nominations. Past panelists have included David Byrne, Renee Cox, Dave Hickey, Jeff Koons, David Ross, Douglas Fogle, and Lisa Phillips.

The Collection provides a snapshot of contemporary artistic practice, representing the diversity of media, and aesthetic sensibilities being developed by up-and-coming artists. This year’s selection includes works that vary in scale and material: Jedediah Caesar’s 450 pound cast resin boulder displaying artifacts from his studio; Yuken Teruya’s diorama created from a McDonald ‘s take-out bag; Elissa Levy’s 4 ½ foot wide felt doily; and Shin-Il Kim’s animation made from 249 pressed line drawings. This range indicates a return to hand-made formalism, and the impulse to make everyday objects precious.

In 2000, Altoids donated the entire Curiously Strong Collection, as well as all works subsequently acquired by the Collection, to the New Museum. Now including 155 original works, the scale and open-ended nature of this unique gift is unprecedented in the Museum’s history, and embodies the New Museum’s mission to present new art and new ideas. The Seventh Annual Altoids Curiously Strong Collection underscores the diversity of contemporary artistic production and features 22 visually arresting works, on view together for the first time in New York.

This year’s selection committee included the following: Meghan Dailey, Regular Contributor, ArtForum, New York, NY; Lisa Fischman, Gallery Director, Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta, GA; Mary Goldman, Director, Mary Goldman Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Yukie Kamiya, Associate Curator, New Museum, New York, NY; Shamim M. Momin, Branch Director and Curator of the Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria, New York, NY; Chris Peddy, Senior Category Business Director, Altoids, East Hanover, NJ; Chris Perez, Director/Owner, Ratio 3 Gallery, San Francisco, CA; Dario Robleto, Altoids Collection Alumni, San Antonio, TX; Gilbert Vicario, Assistant Curator, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX.