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See the Best Instagram Snaps from Marina Abramovic’s 70th Birthday Bash at the Guggenheim
The evening began in strictly-enforced silence.
Sarah Cascone
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Marina Abramović certainly knows how to put on a show, and she apparently did just that in New York last night in celebration of her 70th birthday. The performance art superstar officially passed the milestone on November 30, but delayed the event until after crowds were back from Art Basel in Miami Beach.
For “Marina 70,” Abramović took over the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright rotunda at the Guggenheim Museum. Upon arrival, guests received a card instructing them to wear noise cancelling headphones and “refrain from verbal communication” while enjoying the Agnes Martin exhibition of relaxing in lounge chairs.
artnet News did not attend the festivities, so all we have to go on are images from Instagram, which provide a window into Abramović’s highly-regulated world.
Part one of the evening, titled “Silence,” lasted 70 minutes, ending with the crash of a gong struck by the artist. Then came the more conventional part two: “Entertainment.”
During part two, Abramović took to the stage to make a speech before watching English singer and visual artist ANOHNI, who was part of the entertainment at this summer’s Watermill Benefit in the Hamptons, perform Frank Sinatra’s classic number “My Way” while wearing a large black hood.
There also appears to have been some kind of adult take on face paint from Kreemart, as many of the guests were photographed with 24-karat gold-drenched mouths. They were only following instructions, after all, since Abramović’s piece “Golden Lips” has been cropping up at her events for the past six years.
Guests included Performa director and chief curator RoseLee Goldberg, collector/patrons Beth Rudin DeWoody and Agnes Gund, gallerist Sean Kelly, artists Andres Serrano, Martha Tuttle, Nir Hod, Dustin Yellin, Shirin Neshat, magician David Copperfield, and Monica Lewinsky.
See more Instagram shots of the party below.
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