The nonprofit's charitable event honoring Roni Horn and Steve McQueen was the first to be supported by the French house after their partnership became official in May.

The CFDA Awards may have drawn fashion’s glitterati to the Museum of Natural History on Monday night, but about 60 blocks south the fashion and art crowd was celebrating creativity of another kind.

Matthieu Blazy, creative director of Chanel, was in town from Paris to co-chair the Dia Art Foundation’s annual fall gala honoring American artist Roni Horn and British film director Steve McQueen. The charitable event was the first to be supported by Chanel after their partnership became official in May.

Blazy, whose relationship with the nonprofit extends further to his Bottega Veneta days, was joined by Chanel No.5 face Marion Cotillard and brand ambassador Sofia Coppola. The trio, and a flurry of gallerists and collectors dressed in Blazy’s drop-waist tweeds and glove pumps, took in Argentine artist David Lamela’s multidisciplinary exhibition on view at Dia Chelsea before migrating to a cocktail hour around the corner where a candlelit dinner was served.

Remarks were given by Nathalie de Gunzburg, chairman of Dia’s board of trustees, who began with a personal thank you to Chanel and Blazy. “I hope we’ll be together for many years,” she said, handing the mic off to contemporary artist Matthew Barney to pay tribute to Horn.

Recalling Horn’s photographic diptych “Clowd & Clown,” Barney said he never asked if it was him posing in costume “because I know that Roni isn’t a clown, but there’s a brilliant comedian in there.”

Source link