ART TAKES CENTER STAGE ON "GOSSIP GIRL"

The Art Production Fund to Be Featured During the Monday, November 19, Episode (9/8c) of The CW's Hit Series

BURBANK, Calif. (November 16, 2012) - Fictional or not, the Upper East Side-dwelling characters of the stylish drama Gossip Girl - currently in its sixth and final season - have some fabulous and very real art collections. For five seasons, Gossip Girl has partnered with the Art Production Fund (APF) to feature works by artists such as Ryan McGinley, Martin Eder and Kiki Smith in the series. In the "Where the Vile Things Are" episode airing Monday, November 19, at 9/8 on The CW, the art takes center stage.

In the episode, Lily Bass (Kelly Rutherford) hosts an auction to benefit the APF featuring art from her own personal collection, including one of her favorite pieces - "Spectrum," by Richard Phillips - which has held a prominent place above the stairs in her apartment for many years. When Chuck (Ed Westwick), Ivy (Kaylee DeFer) and Lily each decide they want the Phillips for their own reasons, a bidding war ensues.

In addition to Phillips's "Spectrum," pieces by Patrick McMullan, Jessica Craig Martin and Marilyn Minter - all of whom have had their work previously featured on the Gossip Girl set - are featured in the episode, along with pieces by Kehinde Wiley, Miltos Manetas, Josephine Meckseper, Dustin Yellin, Spencer Sweeney, Chris Dorland, Todd DiCiurcio, Pierre Elliot and Fab 5 Freddy, appearing for the first time in Gossip Girl.

In addition to having their work featured on screen, Phillips, Sweeney, McMullan, Fab 5 Freddy, DiCiurcio and Doreen Remen, co-founder of the APF, make cameo appearances in the episode.

About Gossip Girl

Filmed in New York and based on the popular series of young-adult novels by Cecily von Ziegesar, Gossip Girl is from Fake Empire and Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios. The executive producers are Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Leslie Morgenstein and Sara Goodman. The series stars Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, Kaylee DeFer, with Kelly Rutherford and Matthew Settle.