Lorenzo Martone’s Art Basel Diary

by Eddie Roche

Daily fave Lorenzo Martone is still recovering from a busy week at Art Basel, but turned in his homework, writing in with some memories from the week.

Eight major shows, five incredible private collections, 200 private planes, 250,000 visitors, 956,978,959,867 parties, and $1,600 in Uber fares for me…What a week. Miami’s Art Basel is without a doubt the biggest show on earth. It combines a variety of tribes in a very unique form: art dealers, collectors, fashionistas, partygoers, and everything in between. They share a common chorus, which is overheard repeatedly: “We are all art lovers.” (Art being a Picasso painting or a naked group of people dancing around the aisles of Pulse—art in every shape and form.)

When luxury brands and fashion houses alike arrived in the Design District last year, the movement grew exponentially. Wynwood became the new up-and-coming neighborhood, just moments away from stores including Hermès, Dior, Louis Vuitton, and a host of Swiss watch brands retailing for prices comparable to my apartment.

Mana Contemporary founder (and partner of Milk Studios) Moishe Mana hosted a gala dinner for 450 guests on December 1 in Miami, reminding everyone in his speech that when Milk opened in the Meatpacking District in New York, the neighborhood was filthy and dangerous. “If I tell you the faces people made when we told fashion people, bankers, the creative industry in general…” mused Mana. The same is happening with Wynwood. “One day this neighborhood will be just like the Meatpacking District—an international capital of taste, fashion, and design.” Let’s hope so!

Until then, some of the Daily’s fave fashionistas were seen elsewhere, like Mario Testino at The Perez Museum—who to my surprise shared that it was his first time in Miami Art Basel, but he immediately added, “I feel like I spend all my money on art. This show is in December! I have to plan my year better.” He was also spotted visiting the gorgeous collection of Marty Margulies, who’s always accompanied by his gorgeous entourage. Supermodel Constance Jablonski did some art shopping at Scope, and Leigh Lezark spun at the Jeremy Scott party wearing a full look and inflatable Melissa shoes from the designer’s latest NYFW runway show.

Visionaire’s dynamic duo Cecilia Dean and James Kaliardos presented the very first free Visonaire 65 issue, a series of posters shot by awesome photographers, and of course Paris Hilton, Lenny Kravitz, Giovanna Battaglia, Chelsea Leyland, Italo Zucchelli, Laure Herlard-Dubreuil, and Peter Brant were all fixtures on the scene.

The rain, the traffic, over-the-top everything—all sounds repulsive. But I can’t wait for what Art Basel 2016 holds…

By Lorenzo Martone

James Kaliardos, Cecilia Dean

Cecilia Dean and James Kaliardos,

Photos: BFA.com

You may also like

Leave a Comment