Something New and Something Borrowed: The New Museum Gala Aimed Big

12 April 2012
by Art Rubynstein

New Museum changed up venues for its 35th Anniversary Gala, moving on up to the Cipriani Wall Street address this year. The event’s best ever crowd came out for the bellinis, special performance by spectacularly named The Pimps of Joytime from Brooklyn, and face time with more A-list artists than we could count. 560 patrons occupied tables on Wall Street and $1.6 million was raised. Here are the highlights:

Hosts: Lisa Phillips, Toby Devan Lewis, and Saul Dennison

Big artist alert: honoree Paul McCarthy, George Condo, Elizabeth Peyton, Roni Horn, Marilyn Minter, Dasha Shiskin, Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Aaron Young, Tom Sachs, Rob Pruitt, Lisa Yuskavage and Matvey Levenstein, Lorna Simpson, Hanna Liden, Dustin Yellin, Cecily Brown, Wangechi Mutu, Tony Oursler, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Will Cotton, Sue Williams, and many more.

SAG members in attendance: Honorary co-chair Chloe Sevigny and Leelee Sobieski

CFDA members in attendance: Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Adam Kimmel, and jean loving Francisco Costa.

Most popular designer of the night: Costa’s work for Calvin Klein. Nora Zehetner, Amanda Brooks, Anh Duong, Yvonne Force Villareal, Minter, Olympia Scarry, and Piper Marshall all wore his designs to the dinner.

Most fascinating accessory: Massimiliano Gioni’s Mickey Mouse like gloves.

Runner-up: Sue Hostetler’s Barbara Kruger blessed column.

Best possible parting gift: Carsten Höller’s mini-version of Giant Triple Mushroom sculpture made especially for the gala. $5K was the minimum bid for the piece.

Best auction item: A George Condo portrait commission, a first of its kind for the artist.

Brazilian Biennial Babies

28 September 2011
by Art Rubynstein

Brazilian art momentum is rising. Just last month, Iguatemi hosted Steven Klein in South America, and now the brand is taking its art sponsorship many steps further. 219 works by the likes of Jeff Koons, Tom Sachs, Richard Prince, Nan Goldin, Matthew Barney, Damien Hirst, and many others, will be making their South American debut in São Paulo next week at the group show at the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art.

Sachs (who’s taking a break from his NASA mission for Creative Time), Nate Lowman, and Norwegian curator Gunnar Kvaran will all be stamping their passports in Brazil to fete the opening of the exhibition. And the works are in pretty big league. “The objective of the Biennal museum is to show what is happening in the world of contemporary art, and the Astrup Fearnley collection is one of the best examples in the world in this sense,” said Heitor Martins, president of the São Paulo Biennial. Sounds like good excuse to get a visa!

The Kitties Are Weeping for Tom!

02 December 2010
by Art Rubynstein

Brand new innovation at Basel this year? Weeping Hello Kitty Tom Sachs sculptures stationed outside of the W South Beach, expanded from the one last year which didn’t come complete with the fountain of tears. And why are these babies crying? Maybe because Sachs skipped Basel this year and they just can’t let go!

Artists Dress Up for Halloween!

02 November 2010
by Art Rubynstein

Well, here’s a proof that not all artists are self-serious egomaniacs. Some of them actually took time to dress up for Halloween! There were plenty to go around at the Standard bash on Saturday night. Tom Sachs came as an elaborate mouse, which is our second favorite costume of his following his hand painted Snicker bar get-up in 2006. Aaron Young also impressed in the same bash as a crisp ringmaster, with Dustin Yellin and Vito Schnabel showed some color. As for Terence Koh? He hit two bashes over the weekend: V’s Halloween soiree on Saturday night and Lanvin’s extravaganza and didn’t disappoint with his signature white draping abilities.

1) Sarah Hoover, Tom Sachs 2) Aaron Young, Laure Heriard Dubreuil 3) Terence Koh 4) Dustin Yellin, Vito Schnabel

All Photos ©Billy Farrell Agency

Meet Me at the Whitney

28 October 2010
by Art Rubynstein

Adam Weinberg and nice folks at the Whitney have this whole museum gala formula down. Sure, we didn’t get Donatella Versace this year (and all her groupies like Shakira and J.Lo), but plenty of big money gentlemen and their significant others showed up this year (wearing Akris in the case of Justine Koons and other artist plus ones) raising a cool $2.65 million in the process. Here’s a breakdown of the guests and facts that ticked our fancy:

A-list artists who survived the three plus hour dinner: Chuck Close, Mickalene Thomas, Tom Sachs, and Jeff Koons

Fancy sounding names that kept them sitting at dinner for more than three hours: Billionaire Izak Senbahar, LVMH’s Renaud Dutreil, Lisa de Kooning, Anne Bass, Susan Hess, and Connor Cruise (no, not Tom Cruise’s son!).

Best feature: Daniel Hirschmann’s interactive AOL installation at the studio party

Best cameo: Lenox Lewis, who was on a very welcome party rampage that night after surprising all at Elle’s 25th anniversary

Evening’s entertainment: Mr. John Legend

Supermodel sampling at the Studio Party: Joan Smalls, Lily Donaldson, Jessica Stam, Chanel Iman, and Sasha Pivovarova

Inside Art Ruby’s Richard Phillips Spectacular

28 April 2010
by Art Rubynstein

There always comes a time for the very first dinner party, and ART RUBY’s premiere big bash took place this week in New York. We happily hosted an evening at The Lion to celebrate Richard Phillips, one of our very favorite artists who’s having one hell of a spring. Phillips co-curated Your History is Not Our History exhibit with David Salle (that closes at Haunch of Venison on Friday) and is part of the group showing at the Swiss Institute that will unveil on May 5.  Both Salle and our honoree made it out to West Village last night and even playfully posed with a custom crystallized Moët et Chandon bottle that celebrated their superior wrangling skills and many sleepless hours. Phillips’ better half Josephine Meckseper (who’s a big hit at The Whitey Biennial this time around) was of course there to support her favorite man.

In fact, it was a big night for golden artist couples like Rachel Feinstein and John Currin and Lisa Yuskavage and Matvey Levinstein all came by to toast good friend Phillips with pink champagne, lobster bisque, pan seared sea bass and filet mignon. Others gallery certified guests at the tables of yet unopened eatery included Tom Sachs and Gagosian’s Sarah Hoover, Sean Landers,  Les Rogers, and frequent Art Box contributor Todd DiCiurcio who was accompanied by his lovely wife Megan. There was table hopping, appetizer sharing, and lots of mutual admiration.

Beyond the artists and the gallerinas, other ART RUBY supporters included actress Melissa George with director husband Claudio Dabed,  Jimmy Choo czarina Tamara Mellon, Waris Ahluwalia, Emma Hall, Casey Fremont, Lorenzo Martone, designers Claude Morais and Brian Wolk (of Ruffian), Prabal Gurung, and wild card dinner seatmate Oksana Baiul. Yes, the one that beat Nancy Kerrigan when you still owned a Walkman in 1994.  Artistically inclined surfer and model pair of Danny Fuller and Tori Praver fully enjoyed their dessert of Art Ruby velvet cupcakes and Phillips’ sweet toast to his buddies and our little site.  Until the next dinner and honoree, we hope you enjoy our favorite images from last night’s event.