Art Basel and its shoulder economy of cocktail parties, dinners, private viewings, and collective “inhale-flex-grin” approach to trumped-up cultural elitism swallowed Miami whole this week, from the design district on the mainland to South Beach.
One Miami lifestyle anchor tells TheWrap that there are more private jets landing for Art Basel than for the Super Bowl.
The highlights and lowlights of the Hollywood social graph flocked to the southeast: a Kanye “lecture”, a Lohan vs. Hilton fight that ended in blood, a slew of car brands recruiting hot artists to paint their cars as “sculptures”, and usual scenesters Diddy, Pharrell Williams, Vanity Fair, and other glossy mags throwing parties.
Here’s the best of the photos from the Art Basel 2013 scene:
Dressing alike from the waist up wasn’t enough for Brian Grazer and Jimmy Iovine to camouflage into the background at the actual Art Basel Convention Center.
Before Kim Kardashian posted this Instagram of herself talking to Roberto Cavalli…
Author and columnist Jon Warech snagged this photo behind the scenes revealing the famous Yeezus behind the lens.
Magazine man Jason Binn, Steven Tyler, a fresh wave of “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” promotion included appearances by Lenny Kravitz, DJ Ruckus and Zoe Kravitz at Wall in the W on Thursday night. (Photo by Seth Browarnik/World Red Eye.)
“The Butler” director Lee Daniels and Andy Sforzini front a newly painted Nelson Mandela tribute mural at Grey Goose’s “Fly Beyond” dinner.
The background mural was rushed in to production only hours earlier.
Damien Hirst with Pharrell Williams (left), and with Soho House founder Nick Jones (far right) broke bread together at a Vanity Fair dinner for British artist Tracey Emin at Miami’s Soho House. Their version is called “Soho Beach House”.
Vanity Fair publisher Edward Menicheschi, who hosts an event every night of Oscar week, grabbed a seat with girlfriend Jennifer Zuccarini while hosting a dinner with Cadillac in the Wynwood area. Female artists had painted “the Wynwood Walls”.
The Elton John Aids Foundation events are not just an Oscar-night bash here in L.A. Val Kilmer and Marina Abramovic (both in person, and a selfie on the wall behind her) got the week started at an EJAF benefit.
David Lynch (not pictured) has a nightclub in France – Silencio. It’s six stories underground and takes its name from the theater in his film “Mulholland Drive.”
This week, it popped up as a satellite at Art Basel (above ground), where a conga line broke out at the Grey Goose bash as Pharrell broke the silencio. Takashi Murakami (left, the pop artist who’s collaborated with Louis Vuitton and Kanye) and Diddy buddied up to the “Despicable Me 2” composer.
Shepard Fairey and Rose McGowan (center) at Silencio.
Hip-hop and Art Basel were having a fling.
Kendrick Lamar performed his crowd pleasers “Swimming Pools” and “Don’t Kill My Vibe” for 500 at (Belvedere) Red’s Basel party.
You can’t dabble in Miami news without at least a mention of the king of the city, Lebron James. The NBA star’s analog to Larry Rudolph, his manager, maestro, and childhood friend Maverick Carter, with Jason Odio at the Kendrick Lamar event.
Zoe Saldana and Jared Shaprio arrive at Niche Media’s party on the posh man-made Hibiscus Island.
WWE wrestler “Big Show” introduces David Arquette to the space between high and low art at Flaunt magazine’s event.
Performance art that is batting .666 with environmentalists: artist Rob Montgomery wrote a poem, carved it in oak to make a sculpture, and then set it on fire to close the Flaunt bash.
Rose McGowan (center) marinates in a quintessential Art Basel dinner, as never-one-to-miss-a scene Adrian Grenier lurks in the background at a small gathering Shepard Fairey hosted in the private villa for the Chandran Gallery at the Shore Club on Friday night.
At this Shore Club dinner, there was a canoe in the pool. Artist Tim Biskup took it for a test drive. Super cool.
A few feet away in the famed red room (one of this writer’s hall of fame venues) L.A. artist and nightlife director Louis Carreon took over the walls for the Bootsy Bellows pop-up.
In larger vessel imagery…
…the scene at street artist Alec Monopoly’s docked-yacht party for his “Man Overboard” collection.
Monopoly held down choice property, landing Samsung Galaxy as his party partner
Photo credits: Instagrams by the respective posters Instagrams, Lenny Kravitz and Val Kilmer both shot by South Beach’s most popular, Seth Browarnik/World Red Eye, and all else by Getty Images.
