Carmelo Anthony: TIME100 Art 2026
How many pieces does he own? “I’ve stopped counting,” Anthony tells TIME. “I’m not one that goes out there to try to look for the trends, or to see what everybody else is doing. I’ve gotten more intentional on quality over quantity.”
Anthony’s love for art came early, his taste shaped by the street graffiti and Earth, Wind & Fire album covers he noticed growing up in Brooklyn and Baltimore. By the time he was drafted into the NBA in 2003, he was already familiar with Barnes, whose seminal 1976 work “The Sugar Shack,” depicting a joyous dance hall in the segregated South, had appeared on a Marvin Gaye album cover and in the credits of the 1970s hit sitcom Good Times. “How his artwork was implemented into the Black culture,” says Anthony, “was special to see.”
After Anthony joined the New York Knicks in 2011, his passion grew. He listened to former players reminisce about traversing the SoHo art scene and collecting works by the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. Anthony started popping into art galleries on the road, and by the time he stopped playing in 2022, he’d amassed many of the works that now fill his home.
In a busy post-NBA career (he’s also invested in wine, cannabis, apparel, and production companies), Anthony isn’t slowing down. “Everybody is looking at you crazy,” he says. “‘Melo, what are you doing?’” With art, Anthony sees endless possibilities. He may attempt, at some point, to learn painting himself. “The next step is to actually start to try to visualize stories and try it.”
One day, he’d like to bring his collection to the public. The dream location for such an opening? Baltimore, where he moved when he was 8 years old. “A lot of the art that I have comes from being emotionally attached to the city, and all things that I’ve been through,” says Anthony. “To be able to start it there would mean a lot.”
The collector has advice for other athletes—or anyone, really—looking to take the art plunge. “Art can be intimidating,” he says. “But just don’t be in a rush. Take your time. If you don’t understand it right there, leave it and come back to it. If it brings you back, then you know that’s the piece. That’s when you know it’s genuine.”
