Art Basel 2009: As Far As Parties Go, Art Is Where It's At

Art Basel powers on despite tired feet and hangovers galore because it's all in the name of Art! Here's what went down, who went where and what clothes came off over the weekend.

Go here and here for more photos by Gary James and tag yourself and your friends!

[Additional photos by Nick McGlynn for Scene B Seen].

NYC den of iniquity The Box took a trip down south, installing itself in Miami's Nikki Beach for a three day performance art series and dinner show. The amount of champagne circulating directly correlated to the level of debacle, as popping corks meant shedding clothes. Jason Binn, Christian Louboutin, George Wayne, Andre Balazs, Lorenzo Martone, Kipton Cronkite, Russell Simmons and the man behind the night naughtiness himself, Simon Hammerstein; caught the nudie trapezing and partying at this non-stop hot spot.

Party hosts included London's Tate Modern, KiptonART and WhiteWall.

George Wayne

Andre Balazs, Lonrenzo Martone

Christian Louboutin

Jason Binn, Russell Simmons

Simon Hammerstein

[Below photos by Joe Schildhorn for PMc]. Fashion House Lanvin didn't let the nightlife steal the show, using the city bustle to their advantage for a boutique opening in Bal Harbour. Joining Executive Vice President Thierry Andretta for the debut were Derek Blasberg, Kipton Cronkite and Zev Eisenberg.

Donna Acocelli, Russell Acocelli

Kipton Cronkite, Zev Eisenberg, Thierry Andretta

Alex Koo, Shienni Houlzet, Valentine Uhovski, Ola Rei

Helena Mardasian, Natalia Lebezeva, Gina Gorelik

Regina Arriola, Lazaro Arias, Cecile Andrau, Shienni Houlzet, Kristopher Hegland, Angelica Caled

[Below photos by Billy Farrell for PMc]. Also on the fashion front, design team Victor & Rolf held a private dinner for guests including Diesel's Renzo Rosso, names doubles Dan Caten, Dean Caten and Andrew Andrew, Nadja Swarovski, Stefano Tonchi, Jean Pigozzi and Leigh Lezark at The Webster.

Dan Caten, Renzo Rossi, Dean Caten

Andrew, Andrew

Greg Krelenstein, Leigh Lezark, Laure Heriard Dubreuil, Geordon Nicol

Viktor Horsting, Rolf Snoeren, Marisol Patton, Gina Arcic

Ludivine Poiblanc, Fabien Baron, Cristiana Monfardini

Stefano Tonchi, Jean Pigozzi

Go here for more photos by Fedele Spadafora and tag yourself and your friends!

In case you wanted a little more of a little less clothing, here's the Jordan Doner exhibit at 101.

Adam Wolfson, Emily Treiste

Sebastian Puga, Meybon

[Below photos by Clint Spaulding for PMc]. Adding to the art and party excitement was the launch of art and fashion publication Visionaire 57 2010 at the Solarium at the Delano Hotel. Roland Mouret, Lorenzo Martone, Stefano Tonchi, Dan Caten, Dean Caten, Genevieve Jones, Derek Blasberg, Steven Rojas, KAWS and Lyle Lodwick caught this celebration, which included a live musical performance. The favorite combination of tunes and booze prompted quite the hands-in-the-air  dance party.

Christopher Bollen, Lorenzo Martone, Stefano Tonchi

Dan Caten, Dean Caten, Chelsea Leyland, Pierre Hassan, Rekha Luther

Rita Ackermann, Aurel Schmidt, Kathy Grayson

Dani Morla, Mandy Brooks, Steven Rojas, Genevieve Jones

KAWS (Brian Donnelly), Danielle Levin, Roland Mouret

Sean Hanratty, Cyprien Gaillard, Cyprien Koudlam

[Below photos by Billy Farrell for PMc]. All that walking and dancing can really work up a thirst, so Joseph Altuzarra's private cocktail party at The Webster provided cocktails a plenty to quench the parch. Leigh Lezark, Derek Blasberg (in some lovely red harem pants), Stephanie LaCava and Sophia Lamar sipped as well.

Joseph Altuzarra, Laure Heriard Dubreuil, Frederic Dechnik

Aaron Young, Derek Blasberg

Joseph Altuzarra, Leigh Lezark, Geordon Nicol, Ana Khouri

Stephanie LaCava, Brian Weiss, Sophia Lamar

Lisa Lavora, Umindi Francis, Ana Khouri, Valentina Micchetti

[Below photos by Nick McGlynn for Scene B Seen]. And we certainly didn't forget that all this socializing and heavy hand of nightlife is in honor of one thing: art. Art Basel brings galleries and presentations from all over the globe to showcase to collectors, casual browsers and just the plain old curious; all while underscoring the local offerings of a vibrant, creative city. Below are a sampling of the countless works, a good example of the incredible gifts inspiring serious playtime.

Art Nova Galleries

Fountain Exhibit

Pulse

Go HERE for last week's roundup, and all previous coverage from Art Basel 2009.