Padres Pitcher Discusses His Eclectic Taste in Art

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jul 12, 2024

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease has suddenly become one of Major League Baseball's most interesting people. He has an appreciation for fine art, and visits museums when his team plays in various cities.

Cease detailed his taste in art in a recent interview with FanGraphs while playing against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

“I’m not into French Impressionism as much as, say, modern abstract,” explained Cease. “That’s one that I like, but I wouldn’t say I’m pigeonholed into one genre. I’ll see something and be, ‘Man, I really like that,’ or maybe it’s, ‘I think that’s a little overrated.’ I guess that’s just like any of us when it comes to art.”

In no particular order, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko rank among the top of Cease's favorite abstract artists but he also has several more on his favorite list.

“I like [Joan] Miró a lot,” said Cease. “I like [Jean-Michel) Basquiat and [Vincent] Van Gogh a lot. I really like [Wassily] Kandinsky. I like some of [René] Magritte’s stuff. Gustaf Klimt is great, I mean, there is a wide variety that I like, and again, in different genres. There is a lot of great art out there to enjoy.”

Cease said he would discuss his taste in art with former Chicago White Sox play-by-play broadcaster Jason Benneti when the two were employed on the South Side. Perhaps he can find a similarly receptive art enthusiast in the Padres' broadcast booth now that he's in San Diego.