ArtHamptons, Russell and Danny Simmons Book Signing, Georgica Restaurant, Sag Harbor Historical Society Village Party and The Parrish Art Museum’s Midsummer Party
(Long Island, N.Y.) Art enthusiasts and collectors enjoyed a weekend of art From July 7th through July 10th, 2011 for the fourth edition of ArtHamptons. The international art show of post-modern, modern and contemporary works joyously returned to Bridgehampton.
The art event exhibited four thousand artworks and five hundred talented artists were represented. International galleries from countries around the world including Israel, Korea, Japan, Greece, U.K. Canada, Spain, China, and Finland were showcased.
United State galleries included Abby M Taylor Fine Art, Arcadia Fine Arts, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Catherine Edelman Gallery, Cernuda Arte, Danziger Projects, Eli Klein Gallery, Finch & Ada, Jackson Fine Art, Jenkins Johnson Gallery, Jerald Melberg Gallery, June Kelly Gallery, Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery, McCormick Gallery, Robert Klein Gallery, Throckmorton Fine Art, KIWI Arts Group, Vincent Vallarino Fine Art, Waterhouse & Dodd, and Westwood Gallery. Local Hamptons dealers included Mark Borghi Fine Art, Richard Demato Fine Arts Gallery, Keszler Gallery, Tulla Booth Gallery, Eric Firestone Gallery, and McNeill Art Group.
The galleries exhibiting at ArtHamptons premiered paintings, drawings, sculptures, art glass, and photography. Prices ranged from thousands of dollars to several million dollars for museum-quality pieces. As a benchmark last year’s show sales were in the $20,000 to $50,000 range closing the event to a whopping $6 million dollars. During the four-day run 8,000 visitors attended establishing the show as one of the highlights of the Hamptons’ summer season.
This year ArtHamptons inaugurated photoHamptons, a fresh focus on fine art photography. The largest selection of fine art photography ever offered in the Hamptons, photoHamptons is designed to encourage and stimulate Hamptonites to purchase and collect the medium. Historically, the Hamptons have been considered a serious photography buying marketplace but before now have offered few venues with museum-level work. Limited to a dozen elite photo dealers, fairgoers experienced the finest in vintage, contemporary, modern, and post-modern as well as photo-based art and video. Sponsored by Aperture Foundation and photograph magazine, the photo dealers will include Danziger Projects (exhibiting a new collection of iconic pictures of Kate Moss from photographers including Chuck Close and Annie Leibovitz), John Cleary Gallery, Throckmorton Fine Art, Tulla Booth Gallery, Finch & Ada, Robert Klein Gallery, Cavalier Galleries, KIWI Arts Group, and Catharine Edelman Gallery. They were located throughout the ArtHamptons building.
“ArtHamptons has emerged as one the premier summer must-attend events,” revealed Rick Friedman, founder, Hamptons Expo Group and ArtHamptons, Southampton. “Hamptonites and art lovers have come to appreciate and look forward to experiencing the selection of significant fine art in the dynamic global art marketplace that we create for four days. With the rebounding Hamptons economy driven by record bonuses on Wall Street this year we expect the level of serious art buying to exceed last year.”
Included in the ArtHamptons event was the British invasion with 11 U.K. galleries exhibiting more than double from the year before. They were Alicia David Contemporary, Cube Gallery, Cynthia Corbett Gallery, Fine Art Consultancy, Long & Ryle, Northcote Gallery, Woolff Gallery, Waterhouse & Dodd (London and NY), HackelBury Fine Art Ltd., Rebecca Hossack Art and Turner Barnes Gallery.
I had a chance to interview Director and Owner Nick Wooliff at his booth discussing information about his famous gallery. Woolff Gallery showcased Russell West’s “Slow Big Bang,” conceived to represent the Big Bang theory. A colored board was placed on a wheel and each day a wire was added and paint dripped down the wire. The work was dried overnight. The wheel was turned a fraction and the process was repeated every day for a year. On November 7, 2010, the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland created a mini big bang.
One of the more exciting events was the premiere of the short film: “Full Circle: Before they Were Famous,” featuring Warhol superstars Ultra Violet and Taylor Mead who were present to meet and greet and sign their books. I had a chance to chat with both stars about art and famous artist Andy Warhol. The documentary chronicles the astonishing journey of the images taken by fine art photographer William John Kennedy in the early 1960’s of Robert Indiana and Andy Warhol with their iconic works. The negatives sat in a box for nearly 50 years, rarely seen by the world or his subjects until now. The film is full of personal anecdotes and remembrances by many of the principals of the story and includes appearances by Indiana, Ultra Violet, and Mead as they view their images for the first time. The film is a presentation of the KIWI Arts Group.
Russell Simmons, media mogul and philanthropist, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, and Danny Simmons, visual artist and philanthropist (RPAF) received the Art Patrons of the Year Award. Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons signed copies of his new book “Super Rich” – A Guide to Having It All. “Art saves lives, it’s that simple,” says Russell Simmons who signed copies along with his brother Danny Simmons on July 9th, from 5 pm to 6 pm.
The Opening Preview Party was held on July 7th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Proceeds once again went to LongHouse Reserve. Last year the show’s opening drew 1,500 art collectors and guests from around the Hamptons, New York and beyond.
Most of the Hamptons’ arts and cultural organizations exclusively supported and promoted ArtHamptons as cultural partners. They were the Parrish Art Museum, Guild Hall, Pollock-Krasner House & Study Center, LongHouse Reserve, Hamptons International Film Festival, Ross School, The Jewish Center of the Hamptons, Children’s Museum of the East End, Southampton Fresh Air Home, and Heckscher Museum of Art.
The USA Network, a sponsor to ArtHamptons, will use ArtHamptons as a central theme for an upcoming episode of “Royal Pains.” The hit TV show involves a physician that makes house calls in the Hamptons. Since attending ArtHamptons is one of the highlights of the Hamptons social and cultural summer season, USA Network considers it is an ideal backdrop setting to convey the ultimate Hamptons experience. The twist is they are not shooting inside the actual fair in Bridgehampton but rebuilding and reenacting a portion of the ArtHamptons Opening Preview Gala scene with their stars on their set in an undisclosed location.
Beneficiaries of a portion of the ticket sales will be the Guild Hall Museum, Bridgehampton Historical Society and Parrish Art Museum, respectively.
For more information please visit www.ArtHamptons.com.
After enjoying a night of art at ArtHamptons my crew and I enjoyed dinner at Georgica Restaurant in Wainscott, New York. Co-executive chefs Robert Hesse and Seth Levine offered an array of signature appetizers including Seared Diver Scallops with Country Corn Pudding, Quail Egg, Maple Glazed Bacon and Apple Cider Reduction.
I had a chance to chat with our host for the evening, Event Coordinator Sean Bruns who described the many amenities the restaurant has to offer. “I do marketing here at Georgica and I handle their Thursday live music program which is what we are at this evening. It is an alternating of two live bands all summer with a Surf and Turf Special and it’s to promote an adult crowd age 30 to 50’s who want to have a nice night out,” revealed Mr. Bruns.
Signature dishes include a 14 oz. Prime Angus New York Strip, 48 Frizzled Onion Hay with a topping of Gorgonzola Demi-Glace and a Pan Roasted Chilean Sea Bass with Pancetta, White Bean Ragout and Sun-Dried Tomato Beurre Blanc.
Later we finished off our dining experience with an assortment of signature desserts including red velvet cake, chocolate covered deep fried Twinkies and a trio of homemade cupcakes.
For more information please visit www.georgicarestaurant.com.
On July 9th Hamptonites enjoyed the Sag Harbor Historical Society Village Party. The annual gala benefits the preservation of the historic village, celebrates the village’s unique history, and welcomes its vibrant future. Guests and supporters enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, seafood bar, open bar, music, and a silent auction.
During the event I had a chance to interview Zachary Studenroth, Director of the Whaling Museum who discussed the history of the museum and town of Sag Harbor.
Built in 1845 for seven thousand dollars, the structure that now is the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum was originally the home of Benjamin Huntting II and his family. A respected and prominent citizen of Sag Harbor, Benjamin Huntting was the owner of whaling ships and made his fortune from the whale oil that was brought home on his ships. To design his family’s home, Huntting contacted the prominent 19th century American architect Minard LaFever. LaFever incorporated exquisitely detailed plaster ceilings and carved wooden door frames in the interior with the temple-fronted portico and ornate Corinthian columns on the exterior to make this building a prominent piece of architecture in its day. After Huntting’s death in 1867, his home was purchased by the well known philanthropist Mrs. Russell Sage, who occupied it as a summer cottage until the time of her death in 1918. In 1920 the building was bought by the Masonic Lodge. The local historical society began exhibiting some of their artifacts on the ground floor shortly thereafter. In 1945 the building was donated to the museum. The Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum now owns the building, while the Masonic Lodge still occupies the second floor as a Masonic Temple.
For more information please visit www.sagharborwhalingmuseum.org.
Southamponites enjoyed The Parrish Art Museum’s Midsummer Party on July 9th at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton. The annual event is always a highlight of the Hamptons summer season. The event began with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m. in an air conditioned tent in the Museum’s historic arboretum. The fun continued with dessert, drinks, and dancing from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the afterparty. The event draws approximately 500 dinner guests and 500 After Ten attendees. Glorious Food was this year’s caterer; DJ Tom Finn provided the music. Claire Bean, Floral and Event Design, created the artistic glamorous elegant decor.
Co-chairs of this dazzling evening were Parrish trustees Deborah Bancroft, Etta Froio, Dorothy Lichtenstein, Adam Sender, and David Wassong. After Ten Co-chairs are Josh Gaynor, Anne Huntington, Carolina Portago, Theodora Portago, and Serena Tufo.
For over a decade the Founding Partners have provided leadership for the Parrish’s vision for a new millennium. These individuals and foundations have donated generously for endowments essential to curatorial and education programs and for planning and construction of the new Herzog & de Meuron-designed facility in Water Mill.
For more information please visit www.parrishart.org.
