What: The Bruce High Quality Foundation University (BHQFU) benefit dinner and auction.
Where: Palazzo Chupi, Julian Schnabel‘s storied pink palace in the West Village.
When: April 28, 2015.
Who: The anonymous art collective honored collectors Phil and Shelley Aarons and presented the Guerrilla Girls Broadband (who appeared in typical Gorilla-masked fashion) with an honorary doctorate degree. Other guests included Waris Ahluwalia, Sophie Oakley, Jon Neidich, Bob Colacello, Anne Pasternak, Adam Lippes, Will Cotton, Nate Lowman, RoseLee Goldberg, Yvonne Force Villareal, Cecilia Alemani, and of course, Julian and Vito Schnabel. The father-son duo posted up for the evening in the back of the room at what can only be described as the categorical “cool kids table.”
Why: BHQFU is the only free art school in the city, providing classes and residencies to burgeoning artists, sans the $60,000 worth of debt.
The Moment: After a riveting auction by Sara Friedlander, the charming head of evening sales at Christie’s, we caught up with Bob Colacello, who just happened to be our tablemate. A longtime pal of Schnabel’s, he estimates that he’s been to the Palazzo about 40 or 50 times. “I came to parties here years ago, before it was really Palazzo Chupi, when it was only maybe four or five floors. I’ve become very close with Vito in recent years,” he shared.