In New York, the art world does Halloween right. All around the city, artists, gallerists, and other high-profile arts personalities have pulled out all the stops as they celebrated the popular holiday.
At MoMA PS1, nightlife legend Susanne Bartsch hosted a Halloween bash for the fifth year running, with the partying continuing into the wee hours of the morning.
Guests only loosely adhered to the White House of Horror theme—there were some Donald Trumps and Hillary Clintons running around, but the cool kid crowd’s outrageous costumes covered all manner of creative ideas. As W magazine put it, “the real freaks and hedonists came out to play, and play hard.”
Trick-or-treating may be over for another year, but here are plenty of photographs to hold you over until 2017.
MOMA PS1
5th Annual MoMA PS1 Halloween Ball with Susanne Bartsch at MoMA PS1. Courtesy MoMA PS1.
5th Annual MoMA PS1 Halloween Ball with Susanne Bartsch at MoMA PS1. Courtesy MoMA PS1.
5th Annual MoMA PS1 Halloween Ball with Susanne Bartsch at MoMA PS1. Courtesy MoMA PS1.
5th Annual MoMA PS1 Halloween Ball with Susanne Bartsch at MoMA PS1. Courtesy MoMA PS1.
Old movie palace glamour was the name of the game at the Storefront for Art and Architecture’s annual Critical Halloween place, which took place at United Palace in Washington Heights, one of the old Loew’s Wonder Theatres. It was a fitting setting for the night’s theme of “Luxury,” which saw costume competition entrants don such artsy looks as Maurizio Cattelan’s golden toilet.
Sherry Dobbin, Eva Franch, Amit Khurana, Curtis Kulig, Benjamin Prosky, Charles Renfro, and Anja Rubik, presented awards for best luxury costumes, and voting for a fifth “People’s Choice” award is still open at the Architect’s Newspaper.
Storefront for Art and Architecture
Critical Halloween: Luxury. Storefront for Art and Architecture, October 29th, 2016. Courtesy of Yuko Torihara.
Critical Halloween: Luxury. Storefront for Art and Architecture, October 29th, 2016. Courtesy of Fredrik Bauer.
Critical Halloween: Luxury. Storefront for Art and Architecture, October 29th, 2016. Courtesy of Fredrik Bauer.
Critical Halloween: Luxury. Storefront for Art and Architecture, October 29th, 2016. Courtesy of Yuko Torihara.
Up in Harlem, at the pre-Revolutionary era Morris-Jumel Mansion, it was a decidedly more somber atmosphere, with guests donning “widow’s weeds and appropriate mourning attire” for an evening honoring the memory of the supposedly-haunted abode’s longest-tenured resident, Eliza Jumel.
Amid the open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres, it was hard to tell who anyone was due to the impressive variety of masks, many handcrafted by artist Kenny Harris—it wasn’t called Madame’s Masquerade for nothing.
Morris-Jumel Mansion
Madame’s Masquerade Halloween Party. Courtesy of the Morris-Jumel Mansion.
Madame’s Masquerade Halloween Party. Courtesy of the Morris-Jumel Mansion.
Madame’s Masquerade Halloween Party. Courtesy of the Morris-Jumel Mansion.
Madame’s Masquerade Halloween Party. Courtesy of the Morris-Jumel Mansion.
Madame’s Masquerade Halloween Party. Courtesy of the Morris-Jumel Mansion.
In the West Village, curator Stacy Engman, known for her bold fashion choices, was there to document the colorful, artsy crowd at the home of Allison Sarofim and Stuart Parr.
The annual event saw Will Cotton, Waris Ahluwalia, and Tory Burch, among other art and fashion personalities pay tribute to the late musical icon Prince (the bartenders wore masks featuring the Purple one’s face). Hit costumes included Richard Prince-themed numbers featuring his creepy nurse painting and his Instagram appropriation art.
Allison Sarofim and Stuart Parr’s Annual Halloween Party
Stacy Engman Wearing Madonnas archival headpiece from the Super Bowl made by Karen Erickson at Erickson Beamon at Allison Sarofim and Stuart Parr’s annual Halloween party. Courtesy of Stacy Engman.
The prince themed bar at Allison Sarofim and Stuart Parr’s annual Halloween party. Courtesy of Stacy Engman.
The Freemonts Richard Prince tribute at Allison Sarofim and Stuart Parr’s annual Halloween party. Courtesy of Stacy Engman.
The Swarovski bike with death bunny Yvonne Force Villareal at Allison Sarofim and Stuart Parr’s annual Halloween party. Courtesy of Stacy Engman.
The Candy Queen (by Will Cotton), Rose Dergon, at Allison Sarofim and Stuart Parr’s annual Halloween party. Courtesy of Stacy Engman.
Follow Artnet News on Facebook:
Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.