| EVENT REPORT 10.31.06 12:00 AM |
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| Whitney Patrons Line Up for Self-Portraits |
| High-society players were agog over giant photos of themselves projected as party decor. |
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| It’s not often that you see the likes of Leonard Lauder and Frederick Fekkai patiently waiting in line, but they did at the Whitney Museum of American Art’s annual benefit. A high-tech photo booth adjacent to the museum’s entrance allowed the invitees to snap shots of themselves, which were almost immediately projected onto sheer screens masking the venue’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Not only did the guests get downright giddy when they saw their pictures appear, but they also got a peak at who else was at the party, as the images continuously rotated throughout the night. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | | A high-tech photo booth from Mark Van S. projected images of the Whitney's high-society guests onto the venue's wall of windows. |
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 | | The DIY photo booth contained a screen that allowed guests to see their pose. |
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 | | Event producer Antony Todd created a warm ambience for the gala's dinner by placing large candles on each table. Polished Lucite chandeliers hung from the ceiling, each dotted with dozens of tea light candles. |
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 | | The dinner decor was largely focused on a series of quotes from American artists about Picasso. |
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 | | A red-lit stage awaited Sasha Lazard, who sang at both the dinner and the after-party. |
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 | | Guests descended down a flight of red-lit stairs to get to the after-party space. |
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 | | The after-party received a similar color treatment as the gala dinner. |
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“The projection of the photos captured everyone’s attention,” said event producer Antony Todd. “Plus, black-and-white makes everyone look great—they looked like movie stars and rock stars. That’s how we make these events feel fresher and younger. And it’s a rare occasion when you get all the chic oldies lining up for the fun, too.” (We first spotted the photo set-up here.)
For the dinner on the museum’s third floor, Todd covered the gallery’s wall with quotes from American artists about Picasso, plus a few from the legend himself (all in reference to the Whitney’s “Picasso and American Art” exhibit). Differing in typeface, color, and size, the verbiage ranged from “God damn it, that guy missed nothing” (Jackson Pollock) to “I don’t think there is any question that Picasso is the greatest figure of the twentieth century” (Roy Lichtenstein). The rest of the room’s decor featured elegant accents—large candle centerpieces, chocolate fabric-covered chairs, single gardenias floating in wooden bowls—but the focus was clearly on the walls.
“For the past two years we’ve had our decor created by the living artists featured in our exhibitions,” said the Whitney’s director of special events, Kimberly Goldsteen. “This year was clearly a different take on that, but we were able to continue to work with a few living artists and infuse their ideas into the gala.”
The dinner’s $5,000-per-plate price tag kept the younger set at bay—but the cheaper after-party (at a mere $200 a ticket) that began at 9 PM reigned in an eclectic mix of actors (Michelle Williams, Jimmy Fallon), musicians (Moby), and socials (Bee Schaeffer, Ivanka Trump). If the dinner felt sophisticated and elegant, the after-party had the look of a west Chelsea lounge. A similar color palette of deep red, chocolate brown, and cream tones decorated super-fluffy ottomans and pillows, and Lucite chandeliers dotted with tea light candles hung in the tented side room. DJ Ruckus played old-school crowd favorites that got one security guard dancing, while the photo-booth frenzy only grew as the audience got younger.
—Courtney Thompson
Posted 10.31.06
Photos: Nicole Villamora for BiZBash
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