Pharrell Gets a Wax
And More Fun and Games From the Last Night of Miami's Art Fair
Those who feel that Miami Basel has become more about fashion than art would have done well to stay away from the dinner Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani hosted in honor of Bruce Weber. On the other hand, you could argue that the great fashion photographer, who helmed the latest issue of L'Uomo Vogue, is more deserving of the title "artist" than half the people who exhibit at the fair. "This is kind of a reunion for me," Weber said, as he lapped Casa Tua greeting familiar faces. "I'm not sure if it's a high school or family reunion, though—all I know is that I'm doing the yearbook!"
The following evening, the last official night of the fair, Parisian retailer Colette gave everyone at Asia de Cuba a hand—a wax one, actually, made in the shape of Pharrell's own mitts and doubling as a candle. The Grammy winner, perched in a Philippe Starck throne at the end of the table, duplicated the changing formation of his "hands" as they burned down, morphing from a Star Trek-like peace sign into something resembling a bull's horns to, ultimately, a messy cowabunga sign. Next up for the wax treatment? According to Colette's Sarah Lerfel, it could be Kate Moss.
Art had the last laugh, though. The fair's parting shot came via a netted obstacle course on the backyard beach of the Raleigh hotel. That's where Andrew Cramer's Art War took place, hosted by the Accompanied Literary Society and CreateThe Group. Although Glenn O'Brien was scheduled to fight in the paintball battle, along with his Drugg teammates Ryan McGinley, Aaron Young, and Paul Sevigny, he decided at the last minute to be more strategist than soldier: "I told everyone: Just hide." It got his team to the final round, where they were ousted by a rival faction called the Poorers. Interview's Christopher Bollen was on that team, though he wasn't necessarily chosen for his shooting skills. "They said to me, 'Stand here and look pretty,' " Bollen admitted. Come to think of it, that's not a bad strategy for Art Basel in general.
ERROR:
