Scene Last Night: David Ganek at Guggenheim; Jets Owner in the Park
Private investor David Ganek, in pin stripes and a yellow tie, made his way up the Guggenheim’s ramp last night with art adviser Sandy Heller.
“It’s hard to look and talk at the same time,” Ganek said, as he paused to view some of the 128 works that Maurizio Cattelan has suspended from the ceiling for his retrospective “All.”
These include a horse and Hitler.
Ganek and Heller found dinner off the third ramp: For the 2011 Guggenheim International Gala, the museum turned all the bays into dining alcoves.
There were 31 tables, set with white tablecloths and white flowers. The white walls were bare.
Anyone starved for color only had to look down: the antipasti plate resembled an artist’s palette with dabs of red pepper and yellow tomatoes. The main course was a beautiful composition of celeriac puree, bronzino, sauteed kale and purple cauliflower.
Before dessert, Cattelan took a long stem from the table and presented it to his dining companion, artist Marilyn Minter.
Every diner had a gift at their place: a Formica matchbox with a little hand pump attached. Mika Rottenberg made her limited-edition “PonytailGirl Matchbox” for the gala.
Inside the mirrored box are three compartments. One is empty, one has matches in it and the third has the head of a ponytailed girl, face down.
“You pump here, and the ponytails move up and down,” Rottenberg said in a tableside demonstration.
Downstairs the museum had started selling $20 MGMT posters to the younger set, arriving for the Young Collectors Council after-party. The band MGMT performed later.
Central Park Conservancy
Central Park lost nearly 1,000 trees two weeks ago when a freak storm hit Manhattan. Last night, nature was cooperative as the Central Park Conservancy held its Autumn in Central Park gala dinner.
A tent with a clear ceiling provided views of auburn, yellow and orange leaves. The interior featured gorgeously autumnal chandeliers and a grove of live trees that will be planted in the park.
The event raised $1.1 million, which is a little more than the amount the park says it will take to clean up storm damage and replace the 1,000 trees lost.
Suzanne Johnson danced all night long while her husband, Jets owner Woody Johnson, talked with friends. The couple had taken a walk in the park together just two days before to enjoy the crisp air and the “buzz of fall,” she said.
(Amanda Gordon is a writer and photographer for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. Any opinions expressed are her own.)
To contact the writer on this story: Amanda Gordon in New York at agordon01@bloomberg.net or on Twitter at @amandagordon.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
Guggenheim International Gala
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Guests make their way to dinner.
Guests make their way to dinner. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Guggenheim International Gala
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Sandy Heller and David Ganek.
Sandy Heller and David Ganek. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Guggenheim International Gala
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
One of the museum bays set for dinner.
One of the museum bays set for dinner. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Guggenheim International Gala
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Lauren Santo Domingo, a co-founder of Moda Operandi.
Lauren Santo Domingo, a co-founder of Moda Operandi. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Guggenheim International Gala
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Mika Rottenberg and Yona Backer.
Mika Rottenberg and Yona Backer. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Guggenheim International Gala
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Mika Rottenberg demonstrates her "PonytailGirl Matchbox," which were placed at each table setting as a gift to take home.
Mika Rottenberg demonstrates her "PonytailGirl Matchbox," which were placed at each table setting as a gift to take home. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Guggenheim International Gala
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Mohammed Afkhami, who works in finance, and Debra Black, chairman of the Melanoma Research Alliance.
Mohammed Afkhami, who works in finance, and Debra Black, chairman of the Melanoma Research Alliance. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Guggenheim International Gala
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Marilyn Minter and Maurizio Cattelan.
Marilyn Minter and Maurizio Cattelan. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Autumn in Central Park Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
The tent, at evening's end.
The tent, at evening's end. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Autumn in Central Park Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Anne Harrison, Central Park Conservancy Women's Committee President, and Suzanne Johnson, a co-chairman of the Autumn in Central Park Dinner.
Anne Harrison, Central Park Conservancy Women's Committee President, and Suzanne Johnson, a co-chairman of the Autumn in Central Park Dinner. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Autumn in Central Park Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Ian Snow, CEO and partner, Snow Phipps, and Woody Johnson, owner of the Jets.
Ian Snow, CEO and partner, Snow Phipps, and Woody Johnson, owner of the Jets. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
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