Miami Mania
(MIAMI) Art world VIPs arriving in Miami on Tuesday were met with a cold front that did not bode well for the bathing suits no doubt packed inside of Louis Vuitton luggage. The cold weather, however, did not deter a heavy line-up of parties and dinners to open Art Basel Miami Beach and the throng of satellite fairs.
The first stop on The Daily's agenda was a cocktail party for the opening of Marni's Miami boutique in the downtown design district. Consuelo Castiglioni and daughter Carolina flew in for the fête that attracted Becca Cason Thrash, Beth Rudin De Woody, Lauren and Benedikt Taschen, and other champagne-swigging VIPs from the nearby Design Miami fair.
Next up was the New Artists and Dealers Alliance (NADA) fair and its opening gala, benefitting the New Museum. Banana Republic, a sponsor of the fair, had set up a pop-up boutique to sell their limited edition artist totes. Highlights of the fair included the booth by gallerist James Fuentes, which included works by Alejandro Cardenas, Lizzi Bougatsos and John McAllister, among others. New Museum Director Lisa Phillips attended, as did T's Stefano Tonchi, who was making the rounds at several of the soirées, despite the fact that his own party was only hours away.
The young New York art set showed up in droves for the Grey Goose-sponsored exhibition at The Station. Curated by Whitney Biennial curator Shamim Momin (who was clad in a sexy fuchsia mini) and artist Nate Lowman, the expansive space held impressive pieces by Sterling Ruby and an extensive installation including a "meth lab kitchen" by Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe. Todd Eberle snapped pictures of artist Hanna Liden in front of her work while Lisa Anastos reclined in the lounge area with pals. Afterward, Anastos was headed to a private dinner hosted by Vanity Fair and the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Daily hopped in a chauffeured car to Sunset Island to an intimate dinner for Ross Lovegrove, honoring his collaboration entitled Liquid Space at the Swarovski Crystal Palace. Hosted by Nadja Swarovski, design icons including the Campana brothers and Yves Behar drank Moet champagne and noshed on legs of lamb before hitting the expansive buffet. "This is Miami at its best," said painter Haley Mellin. "An incredible dinner by the pool of a beautiful architectural home." To brave the cold, the party planners had equipped the seats with luxurious blankets, and guests had no shame in wrapping themselves as they dined on Lotus root, steak, and potato pastries. Then it was back to South Beach where it seemed the entire Swarovski dinner had transplanted itself to the Raleigh for T Magazine's late-night bash. Check out the full report.
ADAM P. SCHNEIDER
