The Lorenzo Martone takeover continues with everybody’s favorite Brazilian putting on his interview hat and chatting with The Cultivist‘s Laura de Gunzburg.
Thoughts on Art Basel?
The fair at the convention center was really strong this year. It has become so hard for galleries these days because Miami has so many fairs these days—I think someone told me their were over 18!—and they really have to push their artists to keep producing new works. Unfortunately, I was only able to make it to Basel, Design, Art on Paper, Miami Projects, and NADA, which was by far my favorite this year!
People say Basel has become a big party and fashion marathon. How do you approach the schedule and what were your favorite events of the week?
Miami Basel has become so saturated by sponsored events and luxury brand cocktails. Half of the people there that week, believe it or not, aren’t even there to see any art whatsoever. For me, most important is to go to the events that support directly either my friends or the organizations I’m associated with. I try to go to everything on the early side, as I know with the traffic, I am usually always late! My favorite events this year were the dinner at the Rubells for Cavalli/W on Tuesday night, and it was the perfect opportunity to see the exhibition, but also it was a well-curated intimate group; our Cultivist lunch at the Setai, which was hosted by our artist members on the beach; and Aby and Samantha Rosen’s dinner at the Dutch followed by the after party at the Wall. At that point everyone is ready to have fun before heading home the next day.
How do you pack for the week?
I try to be as strategic as possible and plan out what I am going to wear in advance, as I know I am always running around. During the day, I just want to be comfortable, usually in a little Reformation sun dress or a little A-line skirt—I wore a denim one from Les Copains in Miami that I am obsessed with—and a pair of flats. I only wear my Aquazzura Christy flats, which I have in three colors, or my Sexy Thing flat sandals during the day. I also packed a black Alaïa dress (it never wrinkles and is always a good option if I don’t feel like wearing what I had originally picked out), my Ray-Ban aviators (because they are classic and easy to pack), and a CVC Stones necklace (perfect to wear with any outfit in Miami and you can adjust the length). At night, you can usually find me in a little cocktail dress and a strappy high-heeled sandal.
Tell us about The Cultivist, where you’re the membership director.
The Cultivist is the only global art club, offering VIP art-world access and service to our members wherever they happen to be around the world. Our hope is to bring together artists, curators and collectors as well as influencers from architecture, design, music, film, fashion, tech, and other industries. My role as a brand ambassador is to spread the word about The Cultivist and to take care of existing members, as well as be the one who gets the final say after presenting new applicants to our membership committee.
If you had to pick three favorite artists and three favorite designers, who would they be ?
Picking just three artists is kind of hard, but works I saw this past week in Miami that I loved include two Agnes Martin works from 1958 at Dominique Levy; a Richard Prince rubber band painting at Almine Rech; and a beautiful red work by Jennifer Guidi at Nathalie Karg. As for designers, if only I had only Alaïa, Lanvin, and Aquazzura in my closet!
What’s next for Laura de Gunzburg?
Continuing to build a strong and well-rounded membership base for The Cultivist and also growing my involvement with the Dia Art Foundation, which is an institution that’s very dear to both my family and me!
By Lorenzo Martone