In the beginning, Palm Beach’s winter hotel colony was photographed sitting in wheel chairs along the Jungle Trail, standing next to alligators, or posing in front of one of the island’s enormous trees. New York, Newport and London’s best-known photographers followed them to the remote barrier island where automobiles were banned until about c.1914 when jungle settings began turning into subdivisions platted with roads. For the past decade, I’ve attempted to document the social and architectural history of Palm Beach while also covering present-day events, posting my photos online at the New York Social Diary.
Several months ago, friends encouraged me to print some of these images. Longtime interior designer and gallerist Jennifer Garrigues offered to introduce my work; several months later, Voila. The night before the show, perhaps concerned I might become paralyzed with anxiety and not attend the opening, art advisor David Miller and his partner Ray Wakefield gave a dinner for Jenny and I. There: Polly Reed, Judy Schrafft, Jane Manus and Rene von Richthofen, Stephania Conrad, Orator and Maureen Woodward, Irene Goodkind, Bruce Langmaid and Chuck Poole, Diana Hammerstein, Bob Eigelberger, Susan Gubelmann, James Huntington and Jaime Hernandez, Rudy and Emmy Scheerer, Cary Rich, Pam Gottfried, and Rick Herpel.
The next day, the forecast called for passing showers. Of course, I imagined flooding the likes of the 1939 classic film The Rains Came. And indeed, the rain arrived, just as POTUS was making his customary holiday pilgrimage from the mainland to his island enclave amid the now familiar barricades, blockades and drive-arounds. Then, the rain was gone. Within the hour, more than 100 guests had made their way to the gallery and the evening turned into a bit of a happening. Here is a look at my first gallery opening of “First Prints.” As guests rubbed elbows only inches apart, my camera lens sometimes was simply not macro enough. A few days before, I stopped in at the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden where the central palm garden was the setting for the spectacular Sculpture in Motion exhibition showcasing automotive design.
November 20, 2018 – 6pm – 8 pm
Jennifer Garrigues / 308 Peruvian Avenue
Reception for Viewpoints: The Photography of Augustus Mayhew
November 20, 2018 – December 15, 2018
November 17, 2018 – 5:30-7:30 pm
Ann Norton Sculpture Garden
2nd Annual Sculpture in Motion Benefit
Vintage Cars & Classic Cocktails
For its 2nd annual Sculpture in Motion benefit, the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden welcomed-back classic car expert John Barnes to curate the selection of museum-quality cars, making for one of ANSG’s most popular events. Barnes made his concours-grade selections from the collections of Robert & Susan Bishop, Stephen & Kim Bruno, Jeffrey & Frances Fisher, Martha Glasser, Becky & David Gochman, Daniel Hanlon, Jacobs Collection, Dr. Mitchell A. Josephs, Lehrman Collection, Pegasus Collection, Howard & Sandy Rock, Steven Rosenberg, David & Doreen Salzman, Daniel Stanton, Eugene Tareshawty, Francis Warwick, and the Wilson Collection. While every car was at a pantheon level, guests voted for some of their favorites: The Most Artistic nod went to Jeff & Frances Fisher’s 1938 Delahaye 135 MS Torpedo Grand Sport; Most Elegant, the 1930 Cadillac V-16 Fleetwood Roadster owned by The Lehrman Collection, and Steve Rosenberg’s BMW Isetta “Bubble Car” received the Young Connoisseur’s trophy. Two winners tied for the coveted People’s Choice award: A1975 Citroen H Van Panel Truck owned by Becky and David Gochman and Audrey and Martin Gruss’ 1955 Mercedes 300 SL Alloy Competition Gullwing from their Pegasus Collection.
Photography by Augustus Mayhew.
Augustus Mayhew is the author of Palm Beach-A Greater Grandeur
