Dreaming often entails foreign places, and on Monday night, the Art Production Fund’s spring gala, aptly titled, “I dream of…,” transformed the 6th floor of ABC Carpet into a veritable One Thousand and One Nights.
With waist-high stacks and rolls of Oriental rugs enveloping the tables, the mood felt very bazaar. While the invitation stated to dress “dreamy,” the flowing gowns on Yvonne Force Villareal, Casey Fremont, and Doreen Remen were luscious enough for Scheherazade.
Notables such as Richard Phillips, Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, and Klaus Biesenbach attended to celebrate honorees Yoko Ono and Richard Pandiscio amid flowing glasses of Dom Pérignon.
Yoko Ono installed her iconic Wish Tree, this time in a dainty poplar, where guests could publicly declare their deepest desires — like more ham and cheese arancini or crab cake profiteroles.
A live auction with Sotheby’s Tobias Meyer inspired sales of works by Ryan McGinley, Terence Koh, and Rudolf Stingel during the dinner prepared exclusively by Jean-Georges.
For those who’s evening ended after the many spiked thyme lemonades at the cocktail hour, parting from the dream world wasn’t such sweet sorrow. Memories could live on through the temporary tattoos created by Shazia Sihkander, custom-designed napkins from Madeline Weinrib, and even Todd Eberle’s Empire of Space included in the swag bag — and of course, their picture forever immortalized by Billy Sullivan, who sketched portraits throughout the evening.
