Gerry attending Roger Dubuis event at Art Basel in Miami - December 4, 2013

http://blogs.herald.com/scene_in_the_tropics/2013/11/the-exhaustive-comprehensive-scene-chasers-art-basel-party-primer.html


The exhaustively endless scene chaser's Art Basel Miami Beach party primer

It's that time of year again, time when everyone who's no one attempts to make the rounds, rubbing elbows with high rollers, art dealers, artists and artful codgers swarming in the sceneful swelter of the behemoth that has become Art Basel Miami Beach. Despite the misnomer, the entire city will be full of these types and events--we're just waiting for the invitation to 7-11's convenience store confab. After all, this isn't your hipper sibling's Art Basel Miami Beach of yesteryear, but, rather a grotesque corporate centipede that just keeps growing and growing. But that matters not for the party people who won't miss the opening of a toilet lid. And of course, the ticket everyone seems to want is to whatever farce Lady Gaga has planned. Stay tuned, stand by and stand down, 'cos here we go (for now--this list will be constantly updated as event information is released):

Tuesday, December 3

Alina & Anthony Kennedy Shriver & Stephanie Seymour Brant & Peter Brant host the Best Buddies Art + Friendship Auction hosted by Sara & Ugo Colombo at their Miami Beach estate. Event will feature live auction of contemporary works. (By Invitation Only, aka BIO)

Reception for famed fashion photographer Marco Glaviano and supermodel Cindy Crawford at Art Miami's CC Lounge (Cindy Crawford Lounge). Yup, you read right. To prove it, the lounge will launch a brand new collection of diamond dusted canvases of iconic black + white photos of Crawford from the 80s and 90s. Nearby also within Art Miami's VIP preview is an appearance by the elusively ubiquitous Banksy--vis a vis "Heart With Bandages," a controversial mural he created during his now fabled NYC spree showcased by gallery owner Stephan Keszler. (BIO, until both the Crawford Lounge & Banksy exhibit open to the public December 4-

Drinking Room pop-up at the Hotel Astor: launched by Eating House's Giorgio Rapicavoli, this boozy Baselite could be command central for the chic elite. And if not, it's ok, because the locals will be here regardless. For more information on drinks and edible art installations with Singapore's Janice Wong, click here.

Speaking of rooms for drinking, open to the Baseling and non-Baseling public as of the expected opening date of November 25, is Cipriani Downtown Miami's new lower level Cipriani Bar. We confirmed with a rep and, thus far, the Cipriani Bar is a Basel-free zone (BFZ) when it comes to events.

While this space typically doesn't cover art, but, rather the shallow surroundings of such during this insane thing called Art Basel, there are exceptions. David Datuna’s Jay-Z/Picasso: Opposition of Imaginations, in collaboration with Jay-Z debuts at Art Miami. Datuna calls Jay-Z a modern-day Picasso or he just can't get his song "Picasso Baby" out of his head. The artist will unveil his mixed media wall sculpture and maybe, just maybe, will the muse make an appearance. (Premiere is BIO)

Ferrari is not just a car for overcompensating men, but during Art Basel, like everyone else, it’s an arts patron for the marquee PISTON HEAD: Artists Engage the Automobile exhibition with Adam Lindemann’s Venus Over Manhattan gallery. LaFerrari – Ferrari’s own work of art – will make an appearance as inspiration for Joshua Callahan’s newest work. The VIP preview on Tuesday, December 3 will display dramatic, automotive sculptures by renowned artists such as Damian Hirst where else, but, yup, the garage at 1111 Lincoln. (BIO)

Wednesday, December 4

W Magazine's editor in chief Stefano Tonchi & French label Vionnet's creative director Goga Ashkenazi host a Pérez Art Museum Miami opening premiere of Suspension of Disbelief, a short film by Tim Walker starring Kristen McMenamy & Ben Whishaw. (BIO)

Miami-based footwear and accessory brand Del Toro and Italia Independent’s Founder (and Fiat heir) Lapo Elkann will host an exclusive cocktail event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. inaugurate the new Miami Beach pop-up shop and celebrate the launch of the Del Toro X Italia Independent collaboration line at 2000 Collins Ave. (Cocktail party BIO, pop up, open through March is open to the public daily (and nightly) during Basel from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m.

Swiss watchmaker Roger Dubuis does a reverse commute with a Miami Beach Basel party and sit down dinner hosted by CE Jean-Marc Pontroué and "friend of the brand," actor Gerard Butler at the W South Beach. As for the art part, well, it has something to do with the art of horlogerie, which, although sounds like a fancy synonym for the study some of the clientele hanging out at various hotel bars in town, is French for watchmaking. Says the official spin, "The evening will be a celebration of Art showcasing the amazing Roger Dubuis Excalibur Quatuor, a feat in watchmaking and piece of Haute Hologerie at its finest, alongside the Jeff Koons’ designed Limited Edition Dom Perignon Bottles. The fashionable fête will feature an intimate crowd of A-listers, admitted by invite only. After the dinner, guests will be escorted into a private Dom Perignon themed after-party to keep the evening going." (BIO, for sure, though some crashers will inevitably ooze into the after party)

Socialite/model/heiress/activist/fashion editor Amanda Hearst, Polina Berlin, PKSHOP Director, and designer Hassan Pierre are throwing a party from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Soho House celebrating MdM (Maison de Mode, founded by Hearst and Pierre) x PK SHOP, their "curated art and ethical fashion pop-up" showcasing "a finely edited presentation of rare and limited edition wearable and collectible treasures" (BIO). MdM x PK SHOP will thereafter be open 11 a.m. o 6 p.m. through December 8 2013—wait for it—by invitation only.

Thursday, December 5

One of the week's most star and socialite-studded soirees is the one hosted by Dom Pérignon, Alex Dellal, Stavros Niarchos and Vito Schnabel, this year celebrating Limited Edition by Jeff Koons at WALL at the W South Beach. DJs Ruckus and Zoe (Lenny's daughter) Kravitz will spin.





Another hot ticket is the official opening of the Pérez Art Museum Miami with a BIO opening event featuring show by multimedia performance duo Los Jaichackers.

The aforementioned Del Toro will host a block party at its headquarters in The Wynwood Building (2750 NW 3rd Ave, Suite 22 Miami, FL 33127) featuring custom 1/1 original hand-painted shoes in a variety of Del Toro silhouettes by approximately 50 artists from around the world. Full mural walls by six famed artists – including Stash, Evoca1, Michael Vasquez, Johnny Robles and Magnus – will be unveiled to commemorate the debut of Del Toro’s Art Basel collection. To top it off, barbecue bites will be prepared by Henry Hane, former chef of Eating House, as well as a live musical performance by an undisclosed special guest. Undisclosed guests are the best kind. Even better, this one's open to the public.

Maison Martin Margiela and Atelier Swarovski will host a private cocktail reception on Thursday, December 5th from 7-9pm at Maison Martin Margiela (3930 NE 2nd Ave. 101, Miami Design District) to present their new collection 'Crystalactite' and celebrate the debut of ‘Stalker’, an exclusive installation by French artist Baptiste Debombourg. (BIO, stalkers need not apply)

Not just for gallerists, artists, and the general Baseling public but for anyone with discerning taste in music, The Stage Miami, 170 NE 38th St., will be presenting a gallery of the best of old school hip-hop and new urban sounds during the height of Art Basel, featuring De La Soul on Thursday, December 5, the Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah on December 6 during Beats & Rhymes Fridays and Black Violin on Saturday, December 7,Three-day passes to all events are priced at $66 and are available online at www.waat www.wantickets.com/artbaselthestage. Enjoy $100 bottle specials and food by the This Is It food truck, the newly-permanent culinary option at the venue. For more information, go to www.TheStageMiami.com or call 305-576-9577. Doors open at 10 p.m. each night. (BFZ but not hipster free by any means)

UNTITLED is an art fair whose name should have been UNENTITLED, as an email snafu sent out notes to previously confirmed, alleged VIPS telling them they should apply for VIP status next year. Insert sound of egos crashing all over town. For those VIPs who were not UNINVITED, a Thursday evening preview on the sand on Ocean Drive will be showcasing over 90 galleries and not-for-profit spaces from over 19 countries. (TITLTED VIPs only/BIO)

Maserati North America Hosts the VIP Toast at PAMM and Maserati VIP Lounge experience on Thursday, Dec. 5th. Serving as the museum’s opening party, PAMM Presents LOS JAICHACKERS, the evening will debut a new project, Night Shade/Solanaceae, featuring sculpture, video, and music. The event will also present The Ghibli, Maserati’s latest car to revolutionize the luxury automobile industry by defining “accessible luxury.” Because nothing says opening of a new museum more than Maserati. Insert head scratch here. (BIO)

More fancy car action, this time it's Jaguar sponsoring the Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition in the Design District, with five new collaborations between Jaguar and designers Fredrikson Stallard, Moritz Waldemeyer, Mathieu Gustafsson, architects Neri & Hu and marble specialist Salvatori producing works commissioned by Wallpaper* especially for the exhibition. Of course, the December 5 preview is for--wait, come on, one more guess--VIPs, but after that it's open to the general public from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. the rest of the week. (BIO)

Friday, December 6

Art + Music + Beach at The Official VH1 + SCOPE Party featuring a live performance by Tegan and Sara at Ocean Drive and 9th St. (BIO--sort of. Says a publicist, "the public will have a chance to be a part of it all by situating themselves just outside the space for what is bound to be another unforgettable musical and artistic experience.")

Saturday, December 7

The Sagamore's annual Art Basel Brunch is a hot meal--and a hot ticket--especially for the stalkerazzi. Though a few Miami freeloaders frequently find their way into this one, for the most part, the brunch is pretty exclusive. (BIO)

Not even close to being exclusive, moving to Grand Central Park (700 N. Miami Ave.) to expand its capacity to--deep breath--8,000, Basel Castle Art and Music Festival is like Ultra with a little Barnum & Bailey and a lot of art thrown in. Among the DJs spinning: SBTRKT and French electro god Gesaffelstein. There will also be live art from Greg Mike, Nychos, Skinner, L’amour Supreme, Madsteez, Jeremyville and many more. Exclusive to Basel Castle, artists will be creating one of a kind carnival-style games that fans can play to win prizes. For more information, go to www.baselcastle.com. (Basel Free For All aka BFFA).

If you thought Art Basel Miami was a chameleon, check out Boy George playing DJ at Mansion. Ticket information is here: http://opium.wantickets.com/Events/134409/Boy-George-Marc-Vedo-at-Mansion-Nightclub/ Mark Ronson spins the night before. Boy George will also be doing a live, acoustic set at 9 p.m. Friday, December 6 at Mana Wynwood, 318 NW 23rd Ave. Info for that is at www.artbaselmanawynwood.com.
StyleCaster and Nikki Beach will close out Art Basel when StyleCaster. whose socialista slash fashionista MO is "dedicated to bringing style to the people!" will toast to "Miami's Most Stylish 2013.” Party features a show from artist Gregory Siff, with music by DJ M.O.S. and DJ Theory. Invitation by request at RSVP@stylecaster.com.

Sunday, December 8

It ain't over until the Beryl Cook painting sings and down south, things are still sizzlin' as Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden hosts a brunch and art tour for Art Basel VIPs and Design Miami VIPs from 9 a.m. until noon on Sunday, December 8. This, in celebration of Fairchild's newest art exhibition by Brazilian designer Hugo França, who makes eco-friendly designs out of reclaimed wood. França himself will be there mingling amongst the 250 invited guests. (BIO)

Read more here: http://blogs.herald.com/scene_in_the_tropics/2013/11/the-exhaustive-comprehensive-scene-chasers-art-basel-party-primer.html#storylink=cpy

http://hauteliving.com/2013/11/art-basel-roundup-volume/419463/

Art Basel Roundup: Volume I

We know you’re thinking about turkey, but Art Basel is already upon us. The 12th edition of the fair, and all the great satellites that have popped up around it has gone and backed right up to Thanksgiving this year. So don’t eat too much, you’ll be needing to squeeze into those party frocks sooner than you can say “pumpkin pie!”
Perhaps the biggest buzz of the week is the long-awaited Pérez Art Museum Miami opening. After endless fund-raising, excitement and hard-hat tours, VIPs are finally invited to a preview of exhibits on Tuesday, Dec. 3, before the museum opens to the Basel-going public the following day.
ai-weiwei-installation-11-Ai Wei Wei Installation

Viewers will be checking out Ai Weiwei: According to What? Chinese artists and visionary Ai Weiwei’s exhibition will feature work of the last 20 years, including photography and the large-scale sculptures for which the artist is best known. Expect beautiful and provocative works of art that will evoke social, political and cultural positions on Ai’s native country China, as well as the world at large.

If you can score an invite to the private dinner in Mr. Perez’s honor on Wednesday night, cudos. Everyone else will be honoring namesake donors honor Darlene and Jorge M. Pérez on Saturday night at the sold-out Pérez Art Museum Miami Gala. More than 700 of the art world’s VIPs are expected to attend the party which includes a reception in the gallery spaces followed by a seated dinner and dancing in the park followed by a private Marc Anthony performance.

Maserati North America is hosting the VIP Toast at PAMM and Maserati VIP Lounge experience for PAMM members and Art Basel VIPs. The museum’s opening party will be on Thursday, Dec. 5. The evening will debut a new project by Los Jaichackers, Night Shade/Solanaceae, a performance of music, video and sculpture. The event will also present The Ghibli, the revolutionary new $64,000 Maserati.

Speaking of cars, Ferrari is going to be a patron this year partnering with Adam Lindemann’s Venus Over Manhattan gallery, to create Piston Head: Artists Engage the Automobile at the 1111 Lincoln, which starts Tuesday. Look for “automotive sculptures” by Damien Hirst, Keith Haring and more. The exhibition will kick off with a super exclusive private viewing on Tuesday and will be open to the public on Wednesday.

On the fashion tip, BCBGMAXAZRIA Chief Creative Officer, Lubov Azria will be in town to host a runway show and discussion. Flavio Briatore and Antonio Percassi of Billionaire Italian Couture are opening their east coast flagship store December 3 in the Buena Vista Post office. We’ll see if they make the deadline – the building is still in the midst of construction that is taking it from restaurant to store. And BAZAAR is hosting a pop-up shop at Soho House’s library open daily from 11am-6pm during the fair. They are promising items to bring curated items off the pages of the magazine into your hands, not unlike ELLE Spa.

Art Miami is celebrating it’s 24th edition (it started long before Basel or the other young satellites) and is an Art-Week must-hit. The fair, which is the leading contemporary fair, will commence on Dec. 3 with a blow-out VIP preview, and will be open to the public the following day. Get tickets here.

Michy’s Miami Beach pop up in the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens will seat an intimate 100 guests per night with a four-course menu at $135 per person. Guests can make reservations and pre-purchase tickets at michysmiami.com.

Of course, most of these events are invitation-only, but there are some parties that present another level of difficulty to score invites. Most of these you won’t read about til after they occur, but we’ll give you a taste. Architect Richard Meier is designing the Galerie Gmurzynska at Basel, and to celebrate, he’s holding a private dinner at newly opened restaurant Sea Salt, an upscale fish restaurant on the Miami River.

Jeff Koons will have a dinner at Braman Motors, there is the famous Aby Rosen dinner at the W on Thursday and Haute Living will host a plethora of private parties that include a dinner for IWC with very important guests like Karolina Kurkova and Micky Arison on Tuesday. They’ll be with Hublot on Star Island on Friday serving up Dom Perignon and a Hebru Brantly installation curated by Swizz Beatz.

Meanwhile, Haute Living’s watch-centric offshoot Haute Time will host another Dom-soaked party with Roger Dubuis and cover hunk Gerard Butler at the W South Beach with Russell Simmons, Serena Williams and a handful of top-secret VIPs.

Save some energy for the after hours. This is Miami, after all, and unlike Cinderella’s pimped out wheels and duds, Art Week doesn’t end at midnight.

Cy Wait’s Adoré nightclub is opening it’s doors on Thursday night for their grand opening – and strictly VIP list celebration. Get the whole lowdown on Cy (aka Paris Hilton’s ex) and Adoré here. Everyone is waiting with bated breath for this nightlife heavyweight to change the club game for the better.

Amy Sacco’s New York celebrity hotspot, No. 8, will take over Rec Room for a quintessential Basel party. Big names and familiar faces will be a given here. Mansion is pulling out all the stops for Basel with two big names in the biz. Mega DJ, label boss and super producer Mark Ronson is taking over on Friday night and world-renowned artist Boy George will hit the turntables on Saturday.
amfAR Milano 2012 After Party Presented By Fendi'O - InsideMark Ronson



Too much to handle? We know, but we’re far from finished. Next time, we’ll cover pop ups, satellite fairs and much, much more in Volume II. In the meantime, take a look at what Haute Art Ambassador Sarah Arison has to say about her Basel strategy here.

Full article here:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/12/02/3792775/top-10-oddest-celebrities-expected.html#.Up4Oy7lI9T0.twitter

Top 10 oddest celebrities expected at Art Basel (via Vanity Fair)

Quote :

Actor Gerard Butler will get his art (and timepiece) on at a dinner for watchmaker Roger Dubuis, sponsored by Dom Perignon. The Wednesday night event will showcase a watch called the Dubuis Excalibur Quatour, and feature Jeff Koons’s much-hyped limited-edition bottles of Dom.

A ton of pics at the link:

http://worldredeye.com/2013/12/roger-dubuis-celebrates-art-basel-miami-beach/


Roger Dubuis Celebrates Art Basel Miami Beach

Miami Beach, FL – December 4, 2013 - Keeping the Art Basel Miami Beach events going, Roger Dubuis celebrated Haute Horlogerie with a private dinner hosted by CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué and Gerard Butler last night at the W Hotel. The event, which was also presented by Dom Perignon, showcased Roger Dubuis Excalibur Quatuor, a watch unlike any other and a piece of Haute Horlogerie. Guests, like Eva Longoria, Serena Wiliams, Russell Simmons, Loren Ridinger and Jonathan Cheban admired the amazing feat in watchmaking while sipping bubbly poured from Jeff Koons-designed, limited-edition Dom Perignon bottles. Afterward, the A-list guests gathered at a private Dom Perignon-themed after-party that went until the week hours of the night.

Pics at link:


http://news.watchprosite.com/show-forumpost/fi-112/pi-6160868/ti-900313/s-0/t-news-central-roger-dubuis-celebrates-art-basel-miami-event-w-host-gerard-butler/


Roger Dubuis Celebrates Art Basel Miami Event w/ Host Gerard Butler


On Wednesday, 4th of December 2013, Roger Dubuis CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué and Friend of the Brand Gerard Butler hosted guests during a fete kicking off Miami's iconic Art Basel. In partnership with Dom Pérignon and HauteTime Magazine, Roger Dubuis welcomed 100 guests to a private seated dinner at W Hotel, one of South Beach's premier resorts. The event was touted as one of the most exclusive parties during the luxurious art festival. The fashionable invite-only fête featured an intimate crowd of A-listers including Eva Longoria, Serena Williams and Karolina Kurkova who mingled amongst the exceptional Excalibur Quatuor timepiece.

Art Basel Miami

This year marks the 12th edition of Art Basel, the most prestigious art show in the Americas. Over the course of the week Miami is taken over by special exhibitions, performance art, public art projects and video art. For the second year in a row, Roger Dubuis hosted an exclusive event at Art Basel as it proved an exceptional venue to celebrate the artistic world of Roger Dubuis.



The evening highlighted the Excalibur Quatuor, a feat in watchmaking and a piece of Haute Horlogerie that is truly a unique work of art. As the face of the Excalibur collection, Mr. Butler was on hand, alongside Mr. Pontroué, to present the amazing Excalibur Quatuor to the fashionable crowd with an exclusive film dedicated to the groundbreaking timepiece. "We are so pleased to be able to celebrate Roger Dubuis at Art Basel Miami for the second year in a row by highlighting the exceptional work of art that is the Excalibur Quatuor,"says CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué. "The Excalibur Quatuor is a timepiece that demonstrates excellence in precision, power, and bold design, which makes Gerard the perfect ambassador and he exhibits these traits not only in his films but also his charitable works."

As guests arrived to the event they were greeted by a bald eagle, the symbol of not only the Excalibur collection but also the prestigious Poinçon de Genève, which every Roger Dubuis timepiece bears. Each guest was transported in the incredible world of Roger Dubuis through the exceptional visual imagery on display including the new Excalibur Quatuor, which guests viewed exclusively during the event.


After the private dinner, Mr. Pontroué, invited guests into a private Dom Pérignon themed after-party to keep the evening going. The Dom Pérignon lounge featured the exclusive Jeff Koons' designed Limited Edition Dom Pérignon Bottles. Guests were treated to the sounds of DJ Nik and while enjoying Dom Pérignon and the exceptional timepieces of Roger Dubuis.


About Roger Dubuis

Roger Dubuis has been at the forefront of contemporary Haute Horlogerie since 1995. Its audacious creations, firmly anchored in the 21st century, bear the mark of all the savoir-faire and expertise of the finest watchmaking mechanisms with powerful and daring designs. Boldness and extravagance are the brand's signatures, and determination its engine. Rich in conceptual creativity and mechanical detail, its collections are inspired by four different worlds: the Incredible Player, the Incredible Warrior, the Incredible Venturer and the Incredible Diva. The Roger Dubuis product lines La Monegasque, Excalibur, Pulsion and Velvet are distributed worldwide through an exclusive sales network and boutiques. The quest for excellence, the long search for the right gesture, the development of unique skills are all constants of the Geneva based Swiss Maison, which is part of the Richemont Group since 2008. The fully integrated Manufacture Roger Dubuis is the only watchmaker in the world to have all of its precious timepieces embossed with the Poinçon de Genève, a guarantee of finest craftsmanship.

http://hauteliving.com/2013/12/gerard-butler-hosts-roger-dubuis-fete-eva-longoria-karolina-kurkova-serena-williams/424795

Gerard Butler Hosts Roger Dubuis Fête With Eva Longoria, Karolina Kurkova and Serena Williams


Gerard Butler and Roger Dubuis CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué hosted an extraordinary dinner party on Wednesday night sponsored by Haute Time magazine, which features the actor on its current cover.

The luxurious seated dinner took place in the private gardens of the W South Beach with the afterparty in a sleek lounge, which covered the cabana pool with a sleek black wood floor. Dom Pérignon bottles with glowing labels designed by Jeff Koons lit up the night, along with one of Koons $20,000 limited edition Balloon Venus pieces inspired by the Venus of Willendorf, the world’s oldest piece of art.

Actress and producer Eva Longria attended the party along with model Karolina Kurkova, tennis star Serena Williams, IWC President Gianfranco d’Attis, Haute listers R. Don and Katrina Peebles, Yolanda and Jeff Berkowitz and Haute Living publishers Kamal Hotchandani and Seth Semilof. Butler was enjoying himself and joking with fellow guests, even taking over the turntables at one point from DJ Nik.

In honor of the Swiss watchmaker’s Crowned Eagle watch, a live bald eagle named Challenger was on hand to make the name come to life. Guests and celebs alike were fascinated by noble bird of prey that rivaled the beauty and rarity of the timepieces he was there to celebrate. Beautiful time pieces were on display, including the Excalibur Quatuor, for which Butler is the face. Pontroué said, “The Excalibur Quatuor is a timepiece that demonstrates excellence in precision, power, and bold design, which makes Gerard the perfect ambassador and he exhibits these traits not only in his films but also his charitable works.” The complicated timepiece is truly a feat in watchmaking and prime example of Haute Horlogerie as art.

http://www.wwd.com/eye/parties/art-basel-bebop-7301117

Art Basel Miami Beach Bebop
By Erik Maza

Why go to Art Basel Miami Beach? The question seems self-explanatory on its face.

“The weather, the water,” mused a wistful Pharrell Williams, the singer and producer.

Williams was at a dinner Wednesday at the Raleigh Hotel being held by Louis Vuitton for the Charlotte Perriand beach house it had installed in the hotel’s backyard.

“It used to be the weather, the water and the women, but…” he paused and pointed to his wife, Helen Lasichanh. “I’m good.”

Gerard Butler can still indulge though, and the titillating combination of art and sex appeal is what brings him back year after year, though this time around he’s been on a tight leash because of competing professional projects outside of the Basel bubble.

“Other than the Roger Dubuis event, I haven’t really had a chance to sample either ass or art,” he said. The actor was at a dinner presented by the watchmaker — he is its brand ambassador — at the W hotel that was coming to its conclusion a few hours after Vuitton. Butler was disappointed this time around he wouldn’t get to experience the local delicacies. After several trips, he felt he had finally figured out how to navigate a nutty week like this in Miami, characterized as much by its guilty pleasures as by its missed opportunities.

“I’m enjoying Miami more each time as I learn how to work it better,” he said.

The international party circuit relocates here for its annual end-of-year binge every December for a stretch of time that rests entirely on your tolerance for expensive art, overcrowding, overconsumption and sponsored swag. Basel has become a bloated affair that on any given night offers an abundance of options for jet-setting collectors as well as incorrigible party-crashers. The actual fair, the nominal reason most people travel here, had its vernissage on Wednesday, and so that evening was a blur of pop-ups and dinners and celebrations for new artist collaborations, each greeted at the door, no matter how low-brow the event, by a scrum of rubberneckers hoping, pining to go in. They were there at the free-for-all that was an auction for Lady Gaga’s Born This Way foundation (the Lady wasn’t) and at the hard-to-crash pop-ups for roving clubs Le Baron and Chez André.

Amid the blur, some scenes stood out: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, the week’s most coveted RSVP, arriving shortly after midnight to a scene at the Delano hotel for a party by Tommy Hilfiger, Tony Shafrazi and DuJour magazine founder Jason Binn. By the pool, Val Kilmer was taking selfies.

At the dinner for Dubuis, at the nearby W, Challenger, a live American bald eagle, greeted guests as they walked in. A long stream of cabs and black cars ferrying delicate flowers like Kristen McMenamy, Amanda Hearst and Simon de Pury through a construction zone to the unfinished Perez Art Museum Miami, still under scaffolding even as W magazine and Vionnet feted its opening.

The Vuitton dinner at the Raleigh was removed from all the noise, as Zen-like as the inside of Perriand’s beach house, which could only be toured, even by Delphine Arnault, wearing protective booties. The dining table centerpieces were small batches of multicolored roses, lined back-to-back like a hedge.

“I’m not going to go to lots of parties or anything. I was just happy to see some art,” said Michelle Williams, a Basel first-timer. She had toured the fair earlier and was taken with an Allison Neil painting, though she is not herself a collector. “Not in the way that people in the arts today are collectors. I’m more an iPhone collector, collecting images.” The fair, museumlike in its scope, seems like an ideal venue to teach children about art, but Williams’ daughter had not tagged along for this short trip.

“It’s not hung at the right height for her,” she said.

Cindy Crawford, who came with husband Rande Gerber, was waiting for a glass of tequila — Casamigos, natch, given her husband owns it. Her advice to the newbies: Get a sherpa, or just do what Aby Rosen tells you to do.

“It’s good to be with people who really know art otherwise you can be overwhelmed,” she said.

Loitering around at the dinner were also Elle Macpherson, Alexia Niedzielski, Diana Picasso, Neville Wakefield, Chez André’s André Saraiva and Miami developer Craig Robins, who was deep in conversation with Pharrell Williams. “Because it’s our first time we just did what our friends said,” Crawford continued.

Williams has danced to the fast-paced Basel bebop enough that he knows how to pace himself. “You can’t be in 3000 places at once,” he said. He finished dinner and sauntered to the mainland for a party he curated with Takashi Murakami. Doors opened at 11 p.m. Williams went on a little after 1 a.m., performed his two recent hits, “Blurred Lines” and “Get Lucky,” and disappeared from the stage in less than 20 minutes.