Sweet Serpentine

06 December 2010
by Art Rubynstein

Just in case you thought Brits were a bit unrepresented at this year’s Basel, along came Pringle of Scotland and Serpentine Gallery dinner closing the 195 Collaborations project. Oscar winner Tilda Swinton flew in to Miami for the first time for the big event at The Webster, which was overflowing with A-list designers, and other fine faces that lit up this year’s festivities.

Anniversary Alert: The Webster’s Laure Heriard Dubreuil and Aaron Young who celebrated their two years together in between all the party hype

Notable diners: Ryan McGinley, Ryan MacNamara, Klaus Biesenbach, Nadja Swarovski, Renzo Rosso, Viktor & Rolf, and Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Biggest multitaskers: V’s Cecilia Dean and James Kaliardos who dined at The Webster before hosting a bash of their own at the W

Quote of the night: “I wish I could stay in Miami a bit longer, but a plane awaits and it’s taking me to snowy Scotland. It’s like Russia
over there!”  Tilda Swinton.

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.