On Wednesday night, art enthusiasts took a break from the endless Armory Week previews to blow off some steam at the MoMA. The crowd was split equally between the sophisticated uptown set in LBDs and designer everything and the funky downtown crew, many of whom looked like works of art themselves. The night began with a DJ set by Jamie xx, a solo artist as well as a member of, you guessed it, The xx. Guests mingled on both floors, with a few brave (and possibly less than sober) attendees choosing to bust a move on the relatively empty dance floor.\

When Blood Orange went on about halfway through the night, the second floor stage area was packed. The guests, many of whom were sucking down Redbull vodkas to stay energized after pounding the pavement at the Armory all day, began to let a little bit looser. On three screens behind the stage, iconic images of New York were projected, just in case anyone momentarily forgot where we were. In the crowd, we spotted musician Diplo as well as artist Kehinde Wiley in an amazing suit of his own creation.

While we were kind of hoping for a repeat of last year’s surprise guest appearance by Beyonce, we still managed to have a good time. It was refreshing to attend an event that maintained a feeling of exclusivity, but where Converse occasionally peeked through the sea of Louboutins, and where we could all get a little bit sweaty and dance like idiots. Okay, maybe that last part was just the exhaustion. But still.

DJ Jamie xx kicked the night off right.
Photo: Scott Rudd

Blood Orange performed to a crowd of excited fans.
Photo: Scott Rudd

Hip partygoers enjoyed the scene. Photo: Scott Rudd

Despite (or perhaps because of) the craziness of Armory Week, the crowd remained energized. Photo: Scott Rudd

The museum was transformed into a slick nightclub-esque atmosphere.
Photo: Nicholas Hunt / patrickmcmullan.com

Dev Hynes and Samanatha Urbani
Photo: Nicholas Hunt / patrickmcmullan.com

Diplo
Photo: Nicholas Hunt / patrickmcmullan.com

Heidi Lee
Photo: Nicholas Hunt / patrickmcmullan.com

John Thompson, Mary Boone
Photo: Nicholas Hunt / patrickmcmullan.com

Charlie Manzo, Celeste Drubner
Photo: Nicholas Hunt / patrickmcmullan.com

Kehinde Wiley, Craig Fletcher
Photo: Nicholas Hunt / patrickmcmullan.com

Luke Todd, Lucien Smith, Susannah Ligouri, Ben Watanabe
Photo: Nicholas Hunt / patrickmcmullan.com

Margaret Knowles, Angela Goding
Nicholas Hunt / patrickmcmullan.com