To My Best Friend celebrates art and artists, reflecting the ICA’s history of presenting leading contemporary voices and the past two decades of building a dynamic collection. As the ICA Collection has grown to more than 400 works—spanning painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and more—longtime friends and supporters Fotene Demoulas and Tom Coté have played an essential role in shaping its direction. Their sustained focus on historically underrepresented and women artists at all stages of their careers reflects a deep engagement with the ICA and a shared belief in contemporary art’s capacity to build community and broaden visibility for diverse perspectives.
Drawing from more than 50 artworks Demoulas and Coté have helped bring into the ICA Collection, this exhibition highlights a consistent interest in formal and material experimentation through works by Laura Owens, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Olga de Amaral, and Sarah Sze, among others, and a recognition of the singular insights artists offer the world. Together, these works honor the relationships that have defined the ICA throughout its 90-year history, and continue to inspire its future