The Ultimate Art Basel Party Recap

Art Basel 2021 is officially a wrap! This year was one of the most jam packed party weeks in recent history. The Daily kicked things off with our own cocktails and dinner last Tuesday at W South Beach celebrating our covers with Candice Swanepoel and Taku Emmanuel (check out our recap of all the festivities HERE!) and then it was go, go, go…

Here are some of the highlights from the week…

Sean Penn hosts CORE Miami at Soho Beach House

Sean Penn and Ann Lee gave the week some meaning with a fundraiser at Soho Beach House for his charity CORE MIAMI. CORE has been providing critical frontline COVID-19 relief since March 2020, with a focus on serving the most vulnerable and resource-limited communities. To date, CORE has administered nearly three million vaccines and nearly six million tests around the world. The sit down dinner was emceed by comedian Luenell and featured a musical performance by Anitta. Guests included Leonardo DiCaprio (who arrived as the evening was winding down due to flight delays), Dylan Penn, Soleil Moon Frye, Francisco Costa, HRH Princess Eugenie, and more. The benefit raised an impressive $1.6 million for the charity. Josh Wood and Mimi Eayrs of Josh Wood Productions produced the event with sponsorship from American Airlines.

Sean Penn Leonardo DiCaprio (Getty Images)

Baccarat and Highsnobiety host dinner celebrating HIGHart

Baccarat and Highsnobiety celebrated the launch of HIGHArt, a magazine by Highsnobiety, with a private dinner on Wednesday night. The evening was hosted by EIC Thom Bettridge and Baccarat CEO Jim Shreve with guest of honor Ferg. Guests on hand included Kerwin Frost, Kerby-Jean Raymond, Renell Medrano, Raul Lopez, Kelsey Lu, and Corey Stokes. The dinner was held at the Baccarat Boutique Bar and Lounge in Miami.

Raul Lopez, Renell Medrano, A$AP Ferg, Kerwin Frost, Kelsey Lu (BFA)

Jordan Barrett’s 25th birthday bash

Longtime Daily darling Jordan Barrett turned 25 during Basel. The IMG model had a birthday party at Gitano Miami at Casa Faena on Thursday night. The event also served as the launch of his new sake spritz brand, HAPE. Well wishers included Candice Swanepoel, Shaun Ross, Chloe Wise, Elizabeth Sulcer, Laurie Lynn Stark, Jared Feig, Derek Walker, and Gitano’s James Gardner.

Candice Swanepoel, Jordan Barrett (BFA)

Prince and Sporty & Rich’s lunch at Swan 

To celebrate their new collaboration, Prince and Sporty & Rich hosted a lunch at Swan on Friday. The event was hosted by Emily Oberg and David Grutman, and welcomed guests such as Bella Hadid, Justine Skye, Jonathan Cheban, JR, Martin Garrix, Emily Mayfield, and others. Dubbed “Prince Sporty & Rich Tennis Club 1994,” the line drops today.

Valentina Ferrer’s Healthy Oasis at a Private Residence

It can’t always be a party! Model Valentina Ferrer brought the fitness crowd to a private residence in Miami Beach with her KAPOWDER superfood brand and Amaran snacks. Barry’s Bootcamp instructor Derek DeGrazio was on hand for an afternoon recharge in the backyard.

Valentina Ferrer (Courtesy)

Dr. Giancarlo Perez, Valentina Ferrer, and Derek DeGrazio

Chateau d’Esclans ‘rock on’ at Soho Beach House

Chateau d’Esclans celebrates Art Basel! The Rock Your Rosé party on Friday night at Soho Beach House featured a special performance by Santigold. Guests included Beau Beasley, Paul Chevalier, Tara Solomon, with jams by DJ Zen Freeman.

Santigold (BFA)

Gucci and Deux Femmes Noires: Mickalene Thomas and Racquel Chevremont celebrate the release of Mickalene Thomas’ Monograph

Mickalene Thomas and Racquel Chevremont of Deux Femmes Noires celebrated the release of Mickalene Thomas’ new book Monograph at Paradise Plaza in Miami Design District. Guests included Brooke Shields, DJ Kitty Ca$h, Devon Windsor,  Leigh Lezark, Rōze Traore, Selby Drummond, and more!

Mickalene Thomas, Nina Compton, Racquel Chevremont (BFA)

Chloe Wise, Brooke Wise (BFA)

Prada’s & YoungArts 40th anniversary cocktails

YoungArts board members, donors, and artists hit Prada’s Miami Design District store on Wednesday night. Guests included Sarah Arison, Michi Jigarjian, Craig Robins, Sandra and Tony Tamer, Blake Gray, Paris Brosnan, Aleali May, Amalie Gassmann, Amrit, Deon Hinton, Coco Bassey, Jessica Wang, and Larsen Thompson.

Jessica Wang (BFA)

Blake Gray (BFA)

Balmain (Red) Live Nation and Chivas at Balmain Pavilion

To premiere Saype’s creation on December 1st and mark World AIDS Day, Balmain hosted an event in support of (RED) at the Balmain Pavilion. The event featured a contemporary art installation from Saype, the French-Swiss art pioneer known for his one-of-a-kind creations that manage to meld street and land art together. The artist’s work was on the beach,  located just outside the Balmain Pavilion.

(Courtesy Balmain)

Kering Celebrates “WOMAN MADE: Great Women Designers” with a Dinner Party hosted by Solange Knowles 

Kering, Phaidon, Christie’s and Saint Heron joined together to celebrate the women designers of WOMAN MADE: Great Woman Designers, a comprehensive new book spotlighting women of the past, present, and future, and their contributions to furniture, textile, product, and lighting design. Notable guests included Solange Knowles, Derek Blasberg, Chloe Wise, Elle Macpherson, Amy Astley, and more. The dinner was held at Craig Robins and Jackie Soffer’s Miami Beach home.

Solange Knowles (BFA)

Solange Knowles, Kerby Jean-Raymond (BFA)

RIMOWA’s Soho Beach House bash

RIMOWA launched the second edition of its traveling ‘As Seen By’ exhibition at Basel. The exhibition was celebrated with an in-store event on Wednesday, December 1 at the RIMOWA Design District Store and with an oceanside afterparty at Soho Beach House. The night included DJ sets by Siobhan Bell, Hank Orsan, and Rich Medina, and guests included Maxwell Arkin, Angelo Baque, Zack Bia, Jayma Cardoso, Pedro Cavaliere, Nate Brown, Sean Brown, and Ashley Haas.

Rimowa (Getty Images)

Tod’s dinner at Forte dei Marmi

Tod’s got to Miami early and hosted a dinner on Sunday after Thanksgiving at Forte dei Marmi in celebration of its newly-launched MOSAIC Collection and American artist, Willie Cole. Guests included Karolina Kurkova, Archie Drury, HRH Princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, Sarah Arison, Prince Sultan bin Fahad bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, Casey Fremont, Stefano Tonchi, Sai de Silva, Petra Levin, and Coco Bassey.

Archie Drury, Karolina Kurkova (BFA)

 Carl Craig x Art Basel: Hosted By Nazy Nazhand and Ivana & Thomas Jermoluk

Nazhand hosted an intimate dinner in Miami beach at the home of art patrons Ivana and Thomas Jermoluk in honor of Carl Craig. Guests included Lee Quiñones, Gabriel Rico, Jimmy Douglass, Nicole Salmasi, Peggy Leboeuf, John Acquaviva, Nicole Salmasi, Kathleen Lynch,  Sara Larson and more from the worlds of art, fashion and design.

Nazy Nazhand, Thomas Jermoluk, Carl Craig, Hagi Craig, Ivana Jermoluk and Kurosh Nasseri (Sean Zanni/PMC)

Nazy Nazhand and Sara Larson (Sean Zanni/PMC)

AKU World: Miami Comes To Life 

Micah Johnson, Pusha-T, Jerome LaMaar, Kehlani, Aleali May, AJ Mitchell, Haleek Maul, Savannah James, Matt James, Rachael Kirkconnell, Jackson Myles, Yasmine Petty, Kah-Lo and more came out to celebrate the opening of Aku World: Miami and its star Aku, the digital explorer and crypto-native NFT IP created by artist and former MLB player Micah Johnson. Cutie AJ Mitchell was on hand to perform.

AJ Mitchell (BFA)

AJ Mitchell (BFA)

Lizzo Performs at American Express UNSTAGED

One of the highlights of Basel this year was a special performance on the beach from Lizzo on Saturday night at the Platinum Studio. For the first time since 2015, American Express UNSTAGED returned with the Grammy winner performing on a Las Vegas wedding chapel-inspired set. She ended the evening taking a dip in the Atlantic ocean as fans cheered on. What a way to wrap things up!

Lizzo (Getty Images)

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