Friday Fête: Bentley’s Ball for 100 Years, Moët & Chandon’s “Nectar of the Culture” Party, Louis Vuitton Reopens London Store, and More

Whitewall takes a look back at the happenings of the week, including events with Bentley, Moët & Chandon, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Nordstrom, and more.

Over the weekend at the Conrad New York Downtown, we joined Bentley for The Centenary Grand Ball. The brand’s special celebration, centered around 100 years in business, kicked off with a riding parade led by the all-new Flying Spur in the TriState area—starting at Citi Field and ending at Brookfield Place. There, guests stayed for the The Centenary Concours for an opportunity to see past, present, and future models, including the EXP 100 GT. Special attendees then joined the brand in the hotel’s ballroom on the second floor for an evening of bites, cocktails, and live music. Special remarks by CEO Christophe Georges kicked off the night, as guests then took photos in the Bentley photo booth, danced with new friends, and toasted to a century of leading automobiles.

On Monday at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York, American for the Arts presented its 59th annual National Arts Awards gala, hosted by Carolyn Clark Powers and co-chairs Sarah Arison, Jeff and Justine Koons, David and Susan Goode, and Nora C. Orphanides. The evening began with a cocktail reception featuring a presentation of large-scale works by Luchita Hurtado, followed by a dinner with table settings themed around her paintings. An awards ceremony presented by Alec Baldwin, Governor George Pataki, Jon Batiste, Chris Young, and Zoe Saldana followed, celebrating this year’s honorees—Hurtado, Ben Folds, Ben Platt, Earle I. Mack, and the CMA Foundation—who each received recognition for excellence in the arts. The night closed with a special performance by National YoungArts Foundation alumni, directed by Jake Goldbas, and a parting speech by Board Chair, Julie Muraco.

Also on Monday evening, Independent Curators International (ICI) hosted a benefit and auction to raise funds for its international curatorial programs. Presented in partnership with Artsy, the event featured both live and silent auctions, including the works of Paul Pfeiffer, Amoako Boafo, Mira Dancy, and Robert Mapplethorpe, as well as previews of limited editions by Kahlil Robert Irving and Maurizio Cattelan. The night also honored Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, who was presented the 2019 Leo Award by Carlos Basualdo. Other noteworthy attendees included Rashid Johnson, Ian Cheng, Nancy Spector, Kate Fowle, Kathy Sachs, and Angel Otero.

On Tuesday in New York’s Garment District, Moët & Chandon celebrated the launch of its new “Nectar of the Culture” campaign, joining forces with designer LaQuan Smith and photographer Jonathan Mannion for the evening. Inviting creative luminaries like Lil’ Kim, BJ The Chicago Kid, Nigel Sylvester, Danielle Herrington, and Wale, guests all arrived wearing Smith’s designs, and were treated to a multi-course pairing dinner by Chef JJ Johnson. Surrounding the release of the 2019 limited edition Nectar Imperial Rosé, the “Nectar of the Culture” campaign features a collaboration with Mannion, and will travel to other major U.S. cities, honoring other creatives like Smith, who are helping to push our culture into the future.

Tuesday night also marked the debut of Nordstrom’s New York City flagship, celebrated with an exclusive party in the expansive 7-story retail space on West 57th Street. A star-studded list of guest—like Karlie Kloss, Winnie Harlow, Cleo Wade, Steve Madden, Tommy Hilfiger, Anna Wintour, Brooke Shields, and Maggie Gyllenhaal—experienced the new location’s curated merchandise and special in-store activations, like bag customization stations and a photo wall of New York moments. Attendees arrived early and partied late, dancing to a lineup of DJs including QuestLove, Kitty Cash, DJ Mad Marj, DJ Lady Bunny, and a special performance by The Roots.

Closing out a busy day, designer Nina Sarin Arias invited friends, influencers, and editors alike for a preview of her Spring/Summer 2020 collection for fashion brand Arias. Guests like Casey Fremont, Anna Karlin, Marlies Verhoeven, and Caroline Ventura gathered at MIMI in Greenwich Village where they were treated to an intimate dinner and sneak peak of the upcoming season’s designs, which were inspired by the works of artist Katharina Grosse.

On Wednesday evening, Louis Vuitton celebrated the reopening of its London home on New Bond Street after being closed for renovations for over a year. The first in a new concept for the fashion house, Peter Marino completely reimagined the store, which now features a technicolor graphic art installation on its façade, Damier checked marble and Croix Huyart stone floors, and a collection of works by 25 artists, including Josh Sperling, Alex Katz, Tracey Emin, Sarah Crowner, and Matt Gagnon.

Also on Wednesday, but in New York, the annual IFPDA Fine Art Print Fair debuted its 28^th edition in the Javits Center’s River Pavilion, welcoming around 70 presenters. Open through Sunday, the fair brings with it an exciting roster of presentations, talks, and other programming. Yesterday, the fair hosted a conversation between 1stdibs editor Trent Morse and curator Tim Goossens at the Young Collectors Cocktail. Today, Jeff Koons and the Chief Curator of Drawings and Prints at MoMA, Christophe Cherix, will hold a discussion on what constitutes as “original” art. And on Saturday, Jim Dine will present the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation’s lecture, in conjunction with two master printmakers. Other things to look out for include Two Palms’ 24-foot site-specific presentation of Mel Bochner and a monumental installation by Swoon.

Concurrently, Wu-Tang Clan and Absolut Art opened a pop-up show on Wednesday, surrounding nearly 30 years of influence the hip-hop group has had on contemporary art. Curated by the co-founders of Wu-Tang Productions, Oliver “Power” Grant, Diya Vij, and Michelle Grey, the exhibition featured the works of artists like Maripol, Cameron Welch, Devin Kenny, Baseera Khan, Joseph Cuillier, Sasha Phyars Burgess, Tariku Shiferaw, and Tiff Massey.

Last night, Gucci commemorated the launch of Grip, the first genderless watch line by Alessandro Michele, with a celebratory evening at its boutique on Wooster Street. At the party, guests like Harley Suarez, Tyler Blue Golden, Adam Eli, Sean Pablo Murphy, and Sierra Quitiquit enjoyed cocktails and light bites, viewed the new collection, and enjoyed a DJ set by Hank Korson. Inspired by contemporary and vintage skate-style (and named for the way a rider’s sneaker sticks to a skateboard’s grip tape), the debut of the new line invited artists and skateboarders from around the globe to contribute to a digital project, which was played on loop during the event in the location’s screening room.

Also yesterday evening, Creative Time held its annual fundraising gala, honoring artist Jenny Holzer, whose recent work at Rockefeller Center addresses gun violence in America. Hosted by Jon Neidich and Kate Young, the party featured an environment by Van Wyck & Van Wyck, including a neon-lit tunnel entrance and a futuristic cocktail room, where partygoers were greeted with drinks by Absolut Elyx. Special attendees like Sophia Coppola, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ronson, and Jonah Bokaer enjoyed a candle-lit meal by Yanny Nury, before partying to a DJ set by Chances with Wolves. The evening was complete with limited edition take-away tote bags from Prospect and a late-night snack by Parm.

And tonight, at OSTUDIO in Brooklyn, the space will host an evening of food and celebration, honoring the debut of the exhibition “The Role of a Flower.” Curated by Marie-Salomé Peyronnel, the show features a series of flora-centric works, including Dutch master-inspired Polaroids by Siri Thorson, monoprints by Thomas Fougeirol, handmade ceramics by FEFOStudio, and an installation of fresh flowers by Thorson. For the opening, guests will be treated to a preview of the exhibition, along with food by De Maria’s Camille Becerra, which will be served on FEFOStudio’s ceramic creations.