By Isabel Wilkinson
Any savvy Art Basel-goer will tell you which satellite fairs they’re going to see, which booths at those fairs they favored—which dealers they’ve been talking to; which emerging artists caught their eye. (Check out Blake Gopnik’s coverage of the fair for more on that.) But underneath, everyone knows that whether we like it or not, the annual bonanza that takes Miami by storm for five days every December isn’t just about the art. Sure, art could be found in every nook and cranny of the city from Dec. 6 to 9, from lit-up benches along the boardwalk to planes flying banners by Ed Ruscha, Jenny Holzer, and more. Even a method-acting doppelgänger piece was considered performance art. But the after-hours social scene was just as thriving—and exhausting—as the task of taking in all that art. There were countless charity galas and book signings, fashion parties and pop ups of (more than one) Parisian nightclub. And where, in Basels past, museum directors, gallerists, and blue-chip artists presided over the social scene, this year, events featured Kim Kardashian and Kanye West; Jay-Z and Beyoncé, the Hilton sisters, Demi Moore and her rumored new boyfriend, Vito Schnabel. As one Basel-goer put it, half-seriously: “I came here with the intention of seeing the art. But I simply was too hungover.”
Clockwise from top left: Getty Images (3); BFAnyc / Sipa
Both investors of the buzzy art startup Art.sy, Zhukova and Murdoch co-hosted a Chanel beachside BBQ celebrating Art.sy at SoHo Beach House on Wednesday night.
Venturelli, WireImage / Getty Images
Arriving at the Chanel and Art.sy BBQ on Wednesday.
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images
Van Assche, the creative director of Dior Homme, commissioned photographer Bruce Weber to create a film titled “Can I Make the Music Fly.” The premiere of the film fêted the new Dior Homme Miami boutique on Wednesday night.
Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images
Moore posed with Richardson, and then for Richardson, at the event to celebrate the launch of his latest book, Terrywood.
Getty Images (2)
The rapper performed onstage at the OHWOW & HTC celebration of the release of Terrywood to a jam-packed crowd that included Pharrell Williams, artist Ryan McGinley, and designer Joseph Altuzarra.
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
The artist and his girlfriend attended a kickoff celebration for Art Basel hosted by Jay Jopling and Nick Jones at SoHo Beach House on Tuesday night.
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images
The designer hosted a “Celebrate Life” event—to fête the launch of Evian’s 2013 limited edition bottle—at SoHo Beach House on Thursday afternoon.
Joe Schildhorn, BFAnyc / Sipa
The Victoria’s Secret model went bright at the DVF/Evian event at SoHo Beach House.
Joe Schildhorn, BFAnyc / Sipa
There may not have been a better sibling photo taken all week: the Brants and the Hiltons united at the DVF/Evian event on Thursday.
Joe Schildhorn, BFAnyc / Sipa
The hotelier and his girlfriend, Chelsea Lately host Chelsea Handler, attended the DVF event on Thursday.
Joe Schildhorn, BFAnyc / Sipa
On Thursday night, Visionaire, Net-A-Porter.com, and Mr Porter hosted the “Free Store,” an interactive installation by Jonathan Horowitz, at the newly opened SLS in South Beach. Partygoers were encouraged to bring one item and swap it for another, from a pin to a T-shirt. Among the guests (and contributors to the free store) was Givenchy’s creative director, Riccardo Tisci, who threw a ripped-up T-shirt into the mix.
BFA
