Forgoing a traditional interview for a private tour of the artist’s massive new exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, the two men bonded over their unconventional approaches to their crafts. “JR didn’t go to art school and is becoming one of the most recognizable artists in the world,” says Suman. “Jerry was a truck driver until he was 41, and recently won a Pulitzer. Each, in his own way, is bringing art to a new demographic and challenging what the art community could, and should, look like.”

The show’s centerpiece, The Chronicles of New York City, features 1,128 New Yorkers displayed across 32 feet of museum real estate. “Not only does JR’s largescale work exquisitely animate our two-story Great Hall,” says Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak, “we wanted to connect JR’s work as close to the street to reinforce his commitment to public and love for people and community.”

The mural becomes even more impactful when viewers realize it’s connected to an AR app, JR:murals, which features audio clips of each subject (A custom QR code for said app appears in PLAYBOY’s Winter 2020 issue—allowing readers to hear the subjects’ stories directly from PLAYBOY’s pages).

Playboy spent several days with JR in the week leading up to the public unveiling of the artist’s show. In addition to the tête-à-tête with Saltz, highlights included a lively photo shoot starring the artist-critic duo and a private exhibit reception, attended by everyone from the subjects of The Chronicles of New York mural to Katie Holmes and Chris Rock.

Continue scrolling down for a visual deep dive into Playboy’s week at the museum.

JR: Chronicles, curated by the Brooklyn’s Museum’s Director of Exhibitions Sharon Matt Atkins and Curator of Photography Drew Sawyer, is on view through May 3, 2020.

A version of this story appears in the World of Playboy section of PLAYBOY’s Winter 2020 issue.