PARTIES

Floral and Fabulous

The New Museum honors Calvin Tompkins and Dodie Kazanjian at its Spring Gala


Juliana Huxtable

On Wednesday night, the New Museum hosted its Spring Gala, honoring journalists (and constant couple) Calvin Tomkins and Dodie Kazanjian for their support—and prolific documentation—of the art world. The honorary chairs included artists previously profiled by Tompkins for The New Yorker like Maurizio Cattelan, Paul Chan, George Condo, Cindy Sherman, Laurie Simmons and Ryan Trecartin. Other power couples like Massimiliano Gioni and Cecilia Alemani, Aby and Samantha Rosen, Zoe Buckman and David Schwimmer and Cynthia Rowley and Bill Powers, were joined by Yvonne Force Villareal, Gavin Brown, Lucy Chadwick, and Francisco Costa at Cipriani Wall Street. “We were in it together,” said Simmons of her Tompkins-penned profile, A Doll’s House, which appeared in The New Yorker in 2012. “It was a total pleasure. I can’t remember how he got all that information. All I remember is having a gentle conversation, and the best part is that I get to be friends with them [Tompkins and Kazanjian] for the rest of my life.”

The dress code, “floral or fabulous,” brightened up the gray evening with everything from wildly printed suits to fanciful party frocks. But it was the scene from the balcony, which was hung with art curated by the New Museum’s Lauren Cornell that captured one woman’s fancy. “Ah, I love this view,” she said, surveying the buzzing crowd below. “It’s like I just moved to New York. I could stay here all night.”

Photos: Floral and Fabulous

Dodie Kazanjian, Calvin Tomkins, and Massimiliano Gioni. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Patrick Wimberly and Caroline Polachek. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Juliana Huxtable. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Cindy Sherman. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

David Schwimmer and Zoe Buckman. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Laurie Simmons and Carroll Dunham. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Lucy Chadwick. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Jeff Koons and Lisa Phillips. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Lauren Cornell and Eduardo Navarro. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Casey Fremont Crowe, Karen Wong, and Yvonne Force Villareal. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Bill Powers. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Camille Henrot. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Eva Franch. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

Cecilia Alemani. Photo by BFAnyc.com.

1/14