Last night, the Young Collector’s Council (YCC) hosted a party at the Solomon R. Guggeheim Museum to celebrate its 15 years of supporting contemporary artwork by emerging artists for the museum’s permanent collection. Everything in the rotunda radiated youthful fun, energy, and vibrance: the popular radio hits selected by artist Xaviera Simmons, the confection stand consisting of yoghurt-covered pretzels, grey-and0white M&M’s (paying homage to the Picasso show on view), maple bacon popcorn and truffle sea salt popcorn served in quaint goodie bags (all customized to match the colors of the museum), and the aquamarine lighting that changed as the DJ moved around the room and electrified the NY landmark’s classic appearance.
Anne Huntington, co-chair of the YCC, spoke of the inspiration for the event: “The idea was to bring together all New York culture for the YCC, which is the only young patron group in New York that works with curators to acquire works directly for the permanent collection, to showcase the 15 years of building this collection and this group and celebrating the past for the momentum for the future.” This dedication to promoting young artwork was showcased in the exhibition for the evening, aptly named “Now’s The Time,” which featured recent acquisitions created by artists such as William Cordova, Natascha Sadr Haghighian, and Alexandre Singh. The work tackled provocative contemporary issues, displaying an installation expressing the frustration of the modern artist, an indictment of the way money dominates our society, and a comparison of the literary Byronic antihero to characters from Sex and the City and Grey’s Anatomy.
Cocktails celebrating the integration of the past with the present were named The Classic, The Young Collector, and Now’s The Time, and were made with New Amsterdam Vodka. A seemingly endless supply of wine was also provided by William Hill. Most of the attendees were unsurprisingly young, and notable guests included Princess Khaliya Aga Khan, Astrid Hill, Ondine de Rothschild, and Patricia Fainziliber.
Photo by Christine Butler © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York
