Daily Front Row

2009 December 2

From MOCA to Mattia

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Genevieve Jones
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(MIAMI) “The whole world is so young and I’m feeling very old!” joked Chuck Close as he made his way around The Reach of Realism opening at North Miami’s MOCA, featuring young talent like Tom Burr, Xaviera Simmons, and Adam McEwen. “But I’m not complaining,” continued legendary artist. “There’s a beach, there’s something to eat, something to drink. The fountain of youth is here in Miami.” Close joined other major talents and an astounding 3,000 other guests (like Eric Fischl and Adam Lippes) for a monumental Art Basel opening that was half art extravaganza and half outdoor festival featuring burgers, hummus, and drinks on the grass.

Sandy Brant and Ingrid Sischy have co-hosted the Miami MOCA opening every year that Basel has taken place here, and last night was no exception. The duo got Vanity Fair International on board and provided a buffet of all of their editions. “We’re lucky to be staying at Bruce Weber’s home, which is actually at Golden Beach,” smiled Sischy. “We wake every morning and see a big, blue ocean out there for our enjoyment.” The duo capped off their night with a dinner with Weber, Nan Bush, Patti Smith and Calvin Klein. As for who takes the pictures? “Not me!” quickly confessed Sischy. “I’ve never taken a photograph in my life. Not even with my cell phone camera! I love photography so much, so I just love to look at it and be part of it that way.”

Just as MOCA’s giant bash came to close, Paul Kasmin’s intimate dinner for Mattia Bonetti at The Standard began to take shape across town. “This is my first time in this hotel,” said Bonetti as he entered the ocean-side oasis. “And what a way to make an entrance. Everyone should have a dinner hosted for him or her by Paul!" For his part, Kesmin was just happy to have survived his first Design Fair. “I just came from Europe and the first thing I did was go for a swim,” he said. “I’ve never done the designer fair before and we did it for the first time with Mattea. And it’s obviously so much smaller than the Art Fair but I quite enjoyed it.”

And fifty or so guests happily enjoyed a meal of fresh bronzino, steak, and delicious panna cotta prepared by Mark Zeitouni. Genevieve Jones suffered through MOCA traffic to smell the dessert before heading to South Beach's Le Baron, and Christian Louboutin discussed his recent pre-Miami, multi-nation South American journey. “I’ve bought so much while I was there,” he shared. “So at one point I started taking pictures on my iPhone just so I could figure out what I was spending my money on!”
VALENTINE UHOVSKI