Where: The sprawling halls of the New York Academy of Art at 111 Franklin Avenue.
When: April 13, 2015.
Who: Everyone from artists Dan Colen, Dustin Yellin, and Kenny Scharf and über-gallerist Larry Gagosian to A-list celebrities such as Robert De Niro, Brooke Shields, Parker Posey, and Mary-Kate Olsen (and less bonafide celebrities like “Real Housewife” Kelly Killoren Bensimon) turned out to party in honor of art collector and publishing mogul Peter Brant (see The Brant Foundation Hosts the Party of the Year). The whole Brant clan and much of the Schnabel family were in attendance, as were Princess Eugenie of York and fashion designers Calvin Klein, Nicole Miller, John Varvatos, and Misha Nonoo.
Why: The evening, which was sponsored by Van Cleef & Arpels, raises funds for the academy’s MFA program and continuing education courses. It also provides MFA students with the opportunity to open their studios to the public, make valuable art world connections, and in many cases, sell work. Savvy collectors know this is the place to snatch up talented emerging artists still in their larval stages—we even overheard one snappily-dressed woman lamenting that a piece she “absolutely loved” had already been sold.
The Moment: Designer cocktail in hand, we traversed the place looking for cool, young artists to chat up, and boy, did we find some. From second year student Jehdy Vargas’s immersive installation inspired by childhood memories of her grandparents Santería practice (complete with a wall of clay penises and a massive vagina candle) to first year Nick C. Kirk’s delightfully disturbing portrait of pink-soaked American icons Paris Hilton and Honey Boo-Boo, there was no shortage of talent and vision in the house. And despite the ever-so-slightly meat market quality of the event, the fledgling artists looked genuinely excited to be in the spotlight—even if it meant having to start cleaning up their studios about two weeks out.
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