Artistic to a Tee

(NEW YORK) Ever the fashion chameleon, Yvonne Force Villareal chose a Dolce & Gabbana gown to attend the Whitney Museum's Biennial preview party Wednesday night. But it was the T-shirt she donned over her designer dress that made the night's real statement. Designed by Rirkrit Tiravanija, the shirt reads "The Days of This Society is Numbered" and is part of a collaborative partnership between the Whitney, Villareal's Art Production Fund, and the Gap, which is a sponsor of the highly anticipated art event. As part of Gap's ongoing Artist Edition initiatives, Villareal (who was featured in a Fall 2006 Gap ad campaign) enlisted 13 artists, including Marilyn Minter, Ashley Bickerton, Cai Guo-Qiang, Glenn Ligon, Hanna Liden, Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Kiki Smith, Kenny Scharf, Kerry James Marshall, Sarah Sze, and Barbara Kruger to use a T-shirt from Gap's classic-cut "Favorite Tee" line as a canvas to express themselves in their respective mediums. The results were previewed, and available for $28, exclusively Wednesday night as part of a soft launch at the Whitney. Beginning in mid-May, the shirts will be available at select Gap stores nationwide, as well as online and in Gap's international stores.