Daily Front Row

2009 December 4

In the Valley of Aby

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Aby Rosen, Samantha Boardman Rosen
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(MIAMI) “You might have to host a brunch here tomorrow,” said one wise man to Aby Rosen during the heart of the epic dinner he co-hosted with Peter Brant and Alberto Mugrabi. After all, the event boasted more than fifty tables worth of guests and a grandiose after-party--and it seemed that every demigod in the art world was on the invite list. The guests stayed up so late that the next morning’s breakfast service at W South was delayed for up to an hour. Maybe that brunch wasn’t a bad idea after all.

The Soleá restaurant space had to be expanded to the patio to accommodate the artists (Klaus Biesenbach, Aaron Young, Martin Saar), gallery senators (Andrea Rosen, Larry Gagosian, Tony Shafrazi, Paul Kasmin), and other notables like Diana Picasso, Simon de Pury, and Yvonne Force Villareal. The guests hunted for grilled prawns, paella, and gazpacho, while peacefully forming a string of self-service lines. “You would think I would get cut the line privileges,” joked Brant. 

Rosen settled in with Samantha Boardman and glowingly took in the surroundings. “I think everyone loves it and we aim to please,” he smiled. “The service has been great, the atmosphere has been great. Now, everyone just has to come back again.”  “This is nice little break from my humble Bushwick, Brooklyn,” smiled mega-artist Kenny Scharf. “There, I’m surrounded by hipsters and gas tanks.” Lorenzo Martone was looking forward to something else. “I’m a dessert junkie,” he winked. “And this is one of the sickest set-ups ever. I’m not missing anything tonight.”

After a sweets buffet (twelve options in all) the party moved on to the Wall for the after-fête option hosted by Vito Schnabel, Stavros Niarchos, and Alex Dellal. And no one was sitting around. Calvin Klein, Eva Chow, David Edelstein, Peter Dundas, Tory Burch and Lyor Cohen danced to Michael Jackson until the clock struck 2 or 3 a.m. while champagne flowed and flashbulbs dominated the room. “We all needed some post-dinner relief,” said an elated Naomi Campbell, on the arm of her Russian, Vladislav Doronin. “Dancing has never been bad for anyone.”
VALENTINE UHOVSKI