Come for the parties. Stay for the art.
That is exactly how The Knockturnal spent 48 hours in Miami Beach for the 18th edition of Art Basel. Elite champagne house Ruinart hosted a fête on Wednesday at Miami’s Botanical Gardens. The bash was trés chic and very French. So much so we almost thought, “Did we board the wrong flight and end up in Cannes?”
Nope. Still in Miami.
Surrounded by palm trees and lush gardens, well-heeled art lovers sampled bites from Chef Daniel Boulud. The iconic chef served up dishes like lamb chops and Brazilian seafood stew.
The party celebrated Ruinart’s year-long partnership with artist Vik Muniz. Muniz paintings’ support conservation efforts of the Amazon rainforest through Brazilian nonprofit Imazon. We spotted model Karolína Kurková in denim and a floral blazer sipping Ruinart and mingling in the crowd. After a quick nap, we headed across the bay for the Perrier – Jouët Garden After Dark bash.
Held at the restaurant Seaspice, guests toasted to Art Basel while sipping champagne and turning the pages of Haute Living magazine’s latest issue. We spotted supermodel Winnie Harlow dancing with a group of girlfriends well into the night. What seemed like a few hours later, it was time for some art on Thursday morning. We headed to SCOPE Miami Beach. Celebrating its 19th edition, SCOPE returned to its bespoke pavilion on the sands of Ocean Drive and 8th Street.
A rose gold painting by Italian artist Paolo Serra caught our eye as did the artist himself. Serra’s chic and simple style stood out in an often chaotic setting where artists compete for buyer’s attention. We ended the night celebrating one artist who doesn’t need to compete for anything. Fashion designer Thom Browne brought out celebs like Diplo as he unveiled his first large-scale public artwork at the Moore Building.
Palm Tree I (2019) is a 21-foot tall palm tree made out of tailored seersucker and gingham oxford in yellow, green and pink. Guests sipped on Moët & Chandon while listening to a talk between Browne, Artforum’s Editor-in-Chief David Velasco and exhibition curator United States Artists President Deana Haggag.
