Peter Brant’s Art Caste Gets a New Prince in David Altmejd!

08 November 2011
by Art Rubynstein

It was a perfect weekend day in Greenwich and at The Brant Foundation Art Study Center. Crisp blue sky, perfectly catered lunch, and more floral arrangements than you can count. But most importantly those who made it to New England got a spectacular David Altmejd opening. “It’s nice to be away from Chelesa a little bit,” smiled the Canadian born Altmejd. “It’s not only because it’s Greenwich, but it also seems to be the perfect time of the year here in terms light. The air is crisp, the light if beautiful, and it feels special because we’re a little disconnected from the city.”

Well, not entirely. Most of the guests made a commute from Gotham for Altmejd and the highly spirited host, Peter Brant and no one was left disappointed. How did the artist conquer this impressive show? “I’m into energy, transformation, and growth,” he said. “Even if my bigger work feels ambitious, I really just tend to focus on the microscopic details of my sculptures. That I add up those tiny, detailed moments to add up to a gigantic landscapes of sorts.” And lots of opening day memories too…

Artists who made the Connecticut commute: Josephine Meckseper and Richard Phillips, KAWS, Marilyn Minter, and Josh Smith.

Artist who got the most non – Altmejd camera action: Urs Fischer thanks to his momentous outdoor sculpture.

Notable gallerists on premises: Altmejd’s fairy godmother Andrea Rosen, Gavin Brown, Vito Schnabel, Tony Shafrazi, just to name a few.

Unexpected celebrity cameo: Mary-Kate Olsen, Peter Brant’s good buddy who politely refused to be photographed.

Expected celebrity cameo that failed to materialize: Orlando Bloom, who was actually spotted in a pedicure salon in the city during the opening.

Coolest spotting: Tom Wolfe. We’ll take him any day.

Work of Art cast on site: China Chow and Simon de Pury

Most stylish guest: Stephanie Seymour in Alaia. Who else did you expect?

Lunch highlights: Pumpkin ravioli, organic chicken, mignon, and more Brant kids than you can count in the makeshift art cafeteria.

Best parting gift: Altmejd inspired insect cookies. We took two home.

All photos: Joe Schildhorn, Billy Farrell Agency

Convention Wisdom!

02 December 2010
by Art Rubynstein

If there’s one word that could perfectly capture yesterday’s VIP preview, optimism would be a good one. Collectors were more eager than usual, gallery owners seemed more relaxed, and the art seemed to be opulent in terms of its fearless gold and scarlet motifs. Perhaps White Cube’s gilded Hirst revealed everything you need to know about the current economy: make it gold and make it bold. Equally as impressive as Hirst was a tremendous silver Anish Kapoor eye candy at Barbara Gladstone. As you enjoy our photo highlights, here are some other highlights to keep in mind.

Most devoted bride buyer: Naomi Campbell who made it to Basel for the second straight year…and just mere days before her Egyptian wedding

Most devoted designer buyer: Calvin Klein, who never fails to skip all the action in Miami. Marc Jacobs was in Paris but still got all the best stuff sent to him live via a trusted source.

Least wall text: Gagosian of course. But who needs it with all that Koons?

Best artist cameo: Aaron Young who checked out his work at Resh and three other spaces

Most devoted seller: Tony Shafrazi, who sold, sold, and sold for hours and refused to sit down. “But now my feet hurt,” he told us at 6 PM.

Best jock cameos: Lance Armstrong and Alex Rodriguez who took a baton from John McEnroe who hit Basel last year. The Yankee especially spend at least three hours hunting for latest and greatest for his W South Beach residence with the help of his manager, Guy Oseary.

Most elaborate booth: Lehmann Maupin’s intergalactic universe

Most elaborate booth (runner up): Galerie Gmurzynska and their Zaha Hadid designed space

Your Comprehensive Art Basel Miami 2009 A-Z Memory Box!

13 December 2009
by Art Rubynstein

It took us a whole week to process four fairs, fifty-six events, and hundreds of faces we’ve encountered in Miami during this year’s Basel. Here’s your complete A-Z guide to places, works, and names you should keep in mind until the next craze fest kicks in.

Altmejd, David. The Canadian (!) delivered and we all wanted to keep staring at that strange Glasswalker mutant.  Well done, Andrea Rosen.

Ben & Jerry’s. Yes, the ice-cream maker finally joined the performance art derby by having thousands of people peacefully dancing on the beach to a John Lennon number curated by Natalie Kovac. Cherry Garcia lovers were rewarded for their efforts with sweets.

Chow, Eva and Michael. Most diners went into for lobster with ginger and left with a pocketful of business cards. Deals were made, every big name artist paid a visit to a brand new eatery, and Larry hosted his own big dinner on Mr. Chow premises.

Deitch, Jeffrey. Sure, we enjoyed the booth (Shepard Fairey and Miranda July were very strong) but it seemed like everyone had an even better time at Jeffrey’s Santigold concert at The Raleigh. Could the music promoter be his next big job title?

Efron, Zac. Yes, the High School Musical icon made it to Basel thanks to Richard Phillips’ Five Most Wanted Men series. It was sold almost immediately.

Fernández, Teresita. One of Maupin’s brightest stars and a Miami native had a strong week: cocktail party in Setai in her honor, strong reviews, and good Chelsea show momentum.

Geers, Kendell. That “F&%!” disco ball was pretty cool to look at.

Hirst, Damien. You might have heard of this fella.

Irwin, Robert. Two strong works (at Pace and White Cube). At 81, he can still knock it out of the park.

The Art of Award Show Mediocrity

02 November 2009
by Art Rubynstein

Linda Yablonsky, Mary Heilmann, James Franco

Once upon a time, Rob Pruitt had an unflinching dream. While watching the telecast of the Oscars (or MTV Movie Awards or Latin Grammy honors or very prestigious Daytime Emmys) he thought to himself: Why shouldn’t the art folks have the same democratic opportunities to make self-indulgent acceptance speeches and shamelessly borrow tuxedos and clutches during THAT time of the year? After all, everyone likes to win something or at least be nominated for something whether they work in the Senate or at the suburban Burger King. So, Pruitt’s productive realization of The First Annual Art Awards is certainly admirable. On Thursday, he brought the very first event of its kind to Guggenheim while Calvin Klein Collection sponsored. We could have had an informal ceremony at a local YMCA funded by Nabisco.