On Wednesday, October 11, the annual 26th annual Take Home a Nude® art party + auction to benefit the New York Academy of Art was once again held at Sotheby’s in New York. The evening honored painter John Alexander, a devoted Academy supporter, who has Visiting Critic and lecturer at the Academy. As always, the evening did not disappoint.

 

Eileen Guggenheim, Naomi Watts, David Kratz, Tiffany Sage/BFA.com

Guests were greeted with bites by Sant Ambroeus, a “Nudie Bar” featuring Champagne Jeeper, Ozymandias Wines, PROXIMO Spirits and VOSS Water. The evening raised over 1.1 million dollars through the silent and live auction featuring works from Peter Beard, Ross Bleckner, Christo, Will Cotton, Patrick Demarchelier, Eric Fischl, Eric Freeman, Damian Loeb, Ryan McGinness, and Kiki Smith. Proceeds from the evening go to student scholarships and programs at the Academy.

 

Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com

After the auction, guests headed down to the 5th floor and enjoyed dinner in a greenery-filled forest wonderland inspired by Alexander’s paintings. Guests included Helena Christensen, Andy Cohen, Pari Ehsan, Princess Alexandra of Greece, Eileen Guggenheim, Jane Holzer, Caroline Kennedy, Padma Lakshmi,  Colby Mugrabi, Misha Nonoo, Chris Noth, Mary-Kate Olsen, Daphne Oz, Liev Schreiber, Brooke Shields, Peggy Siegal, Mickalene Thomas, Naomi Watts, Linda Wells, and Ali Wentworth.

 

Mickalene Thomas, photo Tiffany Sage/BFA.com

 

Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com

 

NEW YORK ACADEMY OF ART
Founded in 1982 by artists, scholars and patrons of the arts, including Andy Warhol, New York Academy of Art is a graduate school and cultural institution that combines intensive technical training in drawing, painting and sculpture with active critical discourse Academy students are taught traditional methods and techniques and encouraged to use these skills to make vital contemporary art. Through a lively speaker series, major exhibitions and an ambitious educational program, the Academy serves as a creative and intellectual center for all artists dedicated to highly skilled, conceptually aware figurative and representational art.

 


photos // courtesy of NYAA + top image, Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com