Kehinde Wiley’s portait of Michael Jackson entitled Equestrian Portrait of King Phillip II at Deitch Projects

It is rumored that in years gone by determined collectors were dressing as janitors in order to sneak into Art Basel Miami Beach prior to its official opening in order to snatch the most coveted pieces before their rivals. While this kind of vigor has not returned to the fair since the economic crash stalled the art market in 2008, the mood at today’s VIP preview seemed to be reflect the the vote of confidence that was delivered to the American art market when active bidding returned to the floor of the Post-war and Contemporary Auctions in New York last month.

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Holy War by David Lachapelle via ArtObserved

David Lachapelle’s “Auguries of Innocence” collection is everything but austere.  Overt images of violence, sexual practice, religious imagery, and glutenous materialism are synergized into monumental collages.
Notables in attendance included Andre Balazs, Gavin Brown, Hope Atherton, Amanda Lepore, and Tony Shafrazi. Lepore and Lachapelle have had a prolific history of collaboration, one of the most famous being Lachapelle’s New York exhibit “Artists and Prostitutes 1985-2005,” in which Lepore inhabited a voyeuristic themed life-sized set.
This is the fourth solo show Lachapelle has exhibited at Shafrazi Gallery, the first being his “All American” show in 2002. The exhibit will be open to the public until October 24.

David Lachapelle Official Website
“Less about the Lil Kim’s of the world and more about its lil problems” [Timeout NY]
Tony Shafrazi Official Website

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