Marking the first anniversary of their U.S. flagship gallery in Westport Connecticut, Clarendon Fine Art hosted a reception for Banksy’s protégé, Mr. Brainwash, to celebrate the opening of his new exhibition “All You Need is Art.” As part of its U.S. launch, Clarendon partnered with The Westport Museum for History & Culture, an essential American institution dedicated to the mission of Making History Whole.
The “All You Need is Art” exhibit, spanning the gallery’s two floors, showcased high-value, impactful, large-scale sculptures, ‘vandalized’ canvases’, painted balloon sculptures, vibrant works on wooden panels and sections of subway trains, as well as origami sculptures that serve as miniature replicas of the artist’s famed Rodeo Drive installation.
Mr. Brainwash collectors includes the Obamas, Madonna, and David and Victoria Beckham. He rose to fame in 2008 when he mounted his debut show in Los Angeles, “Life is Beautiful.” The critically acclaimed exhibit welcomed over 50,000 visitors with pieces selling for six figures. In 2010, Mr. Brainwash appeared in “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” an Academy-nominated documentary produced by Banksy that documented his transition from filmmaker to street artist.
Those in attendance at the opening included Clarendon Fine Art’s Chief Executive Officer Helen Swaby, the gallery’s Manager Eve Gianni, and Chief Commercial Officer Rebecca Ball. Also in the mix were Jennifer Tooker, First Selectwoman; Eartha Kitt’s daughter Kitt Shapiro, Lisa Wexler, Lucia Gulbransen, Robin Moyer Chung, and Jennifer Bernicker.
“My aim is to reveal the unexpected,” Mr. Brainwash said of the event. Clarendon Fine Art, distinguished by its extensive portfolio of over 80 galleries throughout the UK, has served as the exclusive gallery representative for Mr. Brainwash since 2020. The gallery showcases hand-picked international portfolios from world-famous names alongside the best-emerging talents. Their vast collection of work includes originals, collector’s editions, and sculptures across genres including landscape, wildlife, still life, figurative, and abstract.
And that’s not all! In addition, 20th-Century investment pieces from artists such as Picasso, Miro, Warhol, and Dali are displayed alongside cutting-edge pop and street artists such as Koons and Banksy.
For more, visit clarendonfineart.com
Back on the Upper East Side, Vanessa Noel hosted an intimate dinner party for Mayor Eric Adams at her East 64th Street townhouse. Among the first to arrive were the Mayor’s youngest brother, Bernard Adams, and his vivacious wife, Sharon. Cocktails were served in her new speakeasy and podcast bar located at the rear of her eponymous shoe boutique. Then fifteen friends moved upstairs to the second floor, in the foyer of Vanessa’s residence, where rare objects from The Noel Shoe Museum collection were displayed between two tables set with purple cloths, purple orchids in sterling mint julep cups, large silver candelabras and tiny votives.
On display were Greta Garbo’s slippers, Turkish wood and mother of pearl bathing platforms, Sioux beaded leggings and moccasins (c. 1890), Chinese lotus shoes, Arlene Dahl‘s mary-janes, gold Versace sneakers donated by Danny Wegman, and a pair of the Mayor’s own dress shoes.
With Carolina Herrera on his left and the hostess on his right, Mayor Adams dined on fresh white asparagus topped with apple blossoms and baby microgreens. Then Noel’s signature dish, a rustic capellini with caviar (the plant-loving mayor accepted seconds). Dessert was a vegan chocolate cake baked by Blaine Caravaggio.
Among the guests, Noel Shoe Museum board members Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia and Mike Dean plus Steven Lari, Anne Cutbill Lenane, Jonathan Marder, Chantalle Meyers, Phillip Reecer, Gabrielle Rolon, Zachery Story, and Ted Taylor.
The Noel Shoe Museum celebrates the creativity and imagination of footwear throughout history, showcasing superb collaborations in fashion, art, and the culture of footwear with an emphasis on design, designers, and the manufacturing of footwear. While seeking a permanent home for its collection, the Museum presents exhibitions and events including a series this coming summer in Nantucket.
And down in Palm Beach where the busy season continues, Palm Beach and Toronto interior designer Alexandra Naranjo hosted “Cocktails à la Française” to welcome French jeweler Elise Beniseau of Van den Abeele Paris.
Among the many guests filling Naranjo’s Antique Row studio and showroom were folks from the worlds of design, décor and just plain bling-lovers, along with members of the Palm Beach chapter of the French Heritage Society.
