Well, what else to expect at an exhibition by Richard Prince, the controversial appropriation artist? His show, “Covering Pollock,” is full of photo collages from the life of Jackson Pollock, the local bad-boy artist who died in a car crash in the area.
The evening began with a private viewing at Guild Hall, where high-minded guests including Barbara Kruger, Robert A. M. Stern and Lisa Phillips looked at low-minded images of naked women, punks and the artist’s wrecked car.
“This show takes him off the art pedestal and brings you right back to the audaciousness of his time,” Larry Gagosian, who represents Mr. Prince, said of Pollock.
When it was time for cocktails and dinner ($1,200 a plate), guests — some in very high heels — teetered out onto Main Street, and with traffic whooshing by, walked to the historic Gardiner estate, whose “lord of the manor,” Robert, died in 2004 after a family feud over the rights to Gardiners Island. “I wonder if the ghost of Mr. Gardiner is around,” a guest said.
Possibly, judging by the scandal-prone crowd. Alec Baldwin (remember that nasty divorce from Kim Basinger?) was the master of ceremonies. James Frey, the publishing provocateur once in the news for his not-so-true memoir, was regaling his tablemates. “I don’t write anymore,” he said of the young scribes he uses to create books for him. “I let others do it.”
Music was provided by Alexandra Richards, daughter of Keith of the Rolling Stones, and who is now a D.J. and model. She posed last summer for French Playboy. Her music was loose and old school, her dress provocatively tight.
At dinner, Martha Stewart in a cardigan and espadrilles, made a docent-like speech about Guild Hall’s history, referencing Robert Motherwell, who showed there, and Helen Hayes, Bela Lugosi and Thornton Wilder, who appeared on its stage. “Every community needs an institution like Guild Hall,” Ms. Stewart said.
It also needs a new scandal. To that end, Helen Lee Schifter, the feisty social figure, attended with her husband, Tim Schifter. Earlier in the week, there were tabloid reports that she was slapped by Helen Marden at Bar Pitti over claims of a “nonplatonic” affair with Ms. Marden’s husband, the artist Brice Marden. Ms. Schifter, in the tradition of the socially indomitable, has refused the tabloid bait. She’s also refusing to stay in and play hermit crab.
When Ms. Stewart’s office called to confirm the presence of Ms. Schifter and her husband, the answer was yes. “I’m trying to take the high road,” Ms. Schifter said. “This whole thing for me isn’t about proving I’m right, it’s about making it go away.” And it will eventually, just like Ms. Stewart’s scandal.
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