The Sotheby’s Upper East Side headquarters hosted one of its all-star events of the year last night: the Take Home A Nude Art Auction. The annual affair, which puts up for auction a variety of nude art, from paintings to sculptures to sketches, benefits the New York Academy of Art. “The reason I created Take Home a Nude years ago was because mastering the nude is one of the fundamentals taught at the Academy,” Eileen Guggenheim, chair of the New York Academy of Art, told us. “In the beginning, it was a much smaller event—it’s grown tremendously!” Notables from the worlds of media, fashion, and the arts, who were there to walk the galleries, mingle, and of course, try to outbid each other, included: Glenda Bailey, Francisco Costa, Will Cotton, Bobby Flay, Eileen Guggenheim, Gabby Karan, Dominique Levy, Dorothy Lichtenstein, Damian and Zoya Loeb, Brandon Maxwell, Misha Nonoo, Glenn O’Brien, Loree Rodkin, Cynthia Rowley, Anja Rubik, Vito Schnabel, Brooke Shields, Jamie Tisch, Stefano Tonchi, John Varvatos, Joyce Varvatos, and Naomi Watts (who wore Vilshenko). This year, the honoree was Jane Holzer, art collector and muse to the Academy’s co-founder Andy Warhol, and the benefit broke records, raising over $1.1 million dollars. The more than 180 works for auction included pieces by Marina Abramovic, Patrick Demarchelier, Nicole Eisenman, and more. The top-selling pieces? Portrait commissions from Nan Goldin ($60K) and Will Cotton ($80K).
In the spirit of the evening, we asked a few guests the last time they went nude. Here’s what they had to say…
“Getting ready for tonight. My youngest daughter used to love walking around the house in high heels and no clothes…my husband turned to me one time and said, now that’s a good look!” —Brooke Shields, actress and model
“A shoot in Chile for a magazine. I wore a headdress and nothing else. It was freezing.” —Di Mondo, fashion personality
“On a beach!” —Francisco Costa, designer
“In college, a classmate and I stood on the lawn naked with paper bags on our heads. It was a performance art piece.” —Brandon Maxwell, designer
“In the shower, before coming here.” —Stefano Tonchi, editor-in-chief, W
Photography: BFA.com/Courtesy New York Academy of Art