July 2013: LongHouse Reserve White Night

by Paul Laster

LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton embraces the idea of living with art in all of its forms. Since the founding of the 16-acre sculpture garden and arboretum by renowned textile designer Jack Lenor Larsen in 1991, the Reserve has grown to include beautifully landscaped grounds, 60 sculptural works, and seasonal exhibitions.

The sculpture garden features important installations by Willem de Kooning, Sol LeWitt, Yoko Ono, and Dale Chihuly, and this year’s exhibition program highlights contemporary works by Alice Aycock, Yoan Capote, Ai Weiwei, and Jack Youngerman.

The LongHouse Summer Benefit Gala is one of the most anticipated social events in the Hamptons. July 20th’s glamorous affair was attended by hundreds of artist, collectors, curators, dealers, and philanthropists.

Dubbed “White Night,” in homage to one of this year’s honorees—architect Richard Meier—the gala featured entertainment by the experimental Elisa Monte Dance, avant-garde saxophonist Dickie Landry, and Iranian singer and composer Sussan Deyhim. Other 2013 honorees included Chinese artist and activist Ai Wewei and the late Lisa de Kooning.

The Alice Aycock exhibition marked the first public viewing of her magnificent sculpture­­­­ Maelstrom, a 30-foot long, white, painted aluminum piece that will be expanded to 70-feet when next exhibited on New York’s Park Avenue in 2014 (thanks to Berlin’s Galerie Thomas Schulte, Salomon Contemporary in New York, and the Fund for Park Avenue.)

“When Dianne [LongHouse president Dianne B] and Matko [executive director Matko Tomicic] approached me about Alice’s work over the winter, it seemed like a natural fit,” James Salomon told Whitehot at the gala. “I have been coming to LongHouse since 2005 and they host one of the most enjoyable parties of the summer . . . you can walk off and explore, then come back to the festivities.”

“Besides that,” Salomon added, “I am truly honored to be working with Alice and Thomas on this mammoth Park Avenue project, and equally thrilled to be sharing a preview of the installation here.”

 Maelstrom, which will be sited in front of the iconic Seagram Building, is part of a six-sculpture series—titled Paper Chase—that will grace Park Avenue between 52nd and 57th Streets next spring and summer.

The White Night party also provided a sneak-peak of the upcoming Ai Weiwei exhibition—Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold—that opens on August 2nd, along with a show of works by Cuban artist Yoan Capote, at the Reserve. And, it gave guests another chance to view Jack Youngerman’s Black & White show, which opened on April 20th and runs through October 12th.

Scroll through the images below to view some of the faces in the crowd at White Night. WM

Thomas Schulte and Alice Aycock

Dianne B. and Michael Combs

James Salomon and Hala Schlub

Jack Lenor Larsen

Larry and Abbey Warsh

Alexandra Munroe and Peter Olsen

Billy Sullivan and Klaus Kertess

Dickie Landry

Robert Wilson

Lou Sagar and Taliesin Thomas

Jack Youngerman

Stacy Engman

Paul Chaleff and Frank Stella

Ekaterina Boki and Eric Cahan

Rick Liss and Mary Heilmann

Elisa Monte Dance performing in the garden

Ralph Gibson

Lucas and Isabelle Bscher

Ned Smyth

Art dealer's Nazy Nazhand and Alice Judelson

Stefano Catenacci and Ellen Eriksson

Keith Sonnier

Elizabeth Fiore and James Salomon

Andre Goy, Dianne B. and Jeffrey Ornstein

Eric Firestone and Larry Warsh

Dorothy Lichtenstein and Paul Goldberger

Sussan Deyhim