Gallery Hopping
The Whitney Packs Them In for Its Annual Gala
The Whitney put on its party hat last night for a fundraising benefit, and for good measure, the museum's director, Adam D. Weinberg, put on a necktie that Akris creative director Albert Kriemler had made just for him. (The Swiss label co-sponsored with AOL and Saks Fifth Avenue.) Just another night of art and fashion—one that ended up raising a cool $2.65 million.
"I think the Whitney is the dark horse in the race of New York museums—it's the artist's museum," offered New York art critic Jerry Saltz during cocktail hour, as Jeff Koons, Tom Sachs, and Chuck Close circulated. It looks like this horse will finally be getting out of the gate with regards to its new downtown site, which is expected to break ground in May 2011.
Upstairs at dinner, Bronson Van Wyck had created an elegant backdrop of milky Murano glass chandeliers and white gardenias and orchids for the algorithmic digital art by C.E.B. Reas. A performance by John Legend followed dinner, after which younger guests like Claire Danes joined the exodus for the after-party downstairs, where Yigal Azrouël was moving drink-less through the crowd. "I'm running the marathon in a week and a half," he explained.
For Upper East Siders Kate and Andy Spade, who'd come from drinks at the Carlyle, it was just another night in the neighborhood. "We walked a block there and a block here," Andy said, adding that having a major museum around has done wonders for his personal style. "People-watching at museums and galleries, that's how I learn how to dress." When the Whitney opens downtown, he'll have a bit more distance to cover.
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