AND…SCENE

If you’re not at Art Basel for the art, we know you’re here for the parties! This event has been the site of some epic shindigs over the years. Let’s take a look back at a few of the hottest hangouts of all time! BY PETER DAVIS

Art Basel in Miami is all about the scene. Art has taken a backseat to the luxury fashionbrand parties, decadent latenight soirées, and scoring the right table at the right restaurant (book early for prime real estate at hot spots like Casa Tua, JeanGeorges Vongerichten’s Matador Room at the Edition and Francis Mallmann’s Los Fuegos at the Faena). This year will be no exception. Sure, it’s smart to check out the official art fair (where I spotted Beyoncé and Jay-Z one year checking out the Hirsts, Warhols, and Basquiats for sale) and satellite fairs like SCOPE Art Show and Design Miami. But most people fly to Miami to mingle with the big boldface names at all the hot parties.

For a taste of what to expect this year, let’s run down some of the most memorably fabulous events of Basels past.

I attended the Desigual “Love Different” themed show at the iconic Temple House a few years ago expecting the Spanish fashion label (think a Catalan Esprit) to show some cute jeans and trendy Bohemian tops. Instead, Desigual and Barcelonabased performance artist Carlota Guerrero staged “El Beso,” a veritable orgy with models stripping off their Desigual garb to reveal skin-toned body suits.

Art Basel Desigual’s 2019 “El Beso” show Hassan Pierre Peter Davis

Lourdes Leon (left)

Waris Ahluwalia, Francisco Costa

Models of all shapes, colors, and genders grinded and made out for what seemed like hours. To cap it all off, Madonna’s daughter Lourdes Leon was the star attraction, proving that her mother’s infamous Sex book (much of which was shot by Steven Meisel in Miami) definitely influenced her career moves. After the show, the DJ formerly known as the Black Madonna (now the Blessed Madonna) spun for the crowd, which included cast members from the racy Spanish teen soap Elite. A video I took of the Desigual flesh-fest went viral on Instagram (before being removed!) and ended up on the front page of The New York Post with the headline: “Oh, my Lourdes.” Fashion is king during Basel and last year Chanel celebrated the 100th anniversary of its iconic No. 5 perfume with a light show on the beach at the Faena. In addition to a 600-foot-high No. 5 bottle, more than 500 drones spelled out CHANEL across the night sky. Adding to the show, Chanel enlisted artist Es Devlin to create “Five Echoes,” a massive installation sculpture surrounded by a forest in Jungle Plaza. The circular sculpture measured 100 feet in diameter with walls up to 33 feet high and also featured sound, light, and scents so you felt like you were trapped in a Chanel maze dreamed up by Coco herself.

Not every hot event at Basel happens at night. The Cultivist Global Arts Club always hosts a lunch that is one of the hardest invites to snag. Last year, they toasted British abstract artist Tahnee Lonsdale at The Setai with guests including Waris Ahluwalia, Hassan Pierre, and Jennifer Tilly, among others.

Which parties will be the most talked about of 2022? We’ll just have to wait and see! T