ARTSY ‘RAIN’ DANCE HONORS GENE KELLY
Though the sky was crystal clear, a bit of man-made rain recently showered over a romantically swoon-worthy dance atop an outdoor terrace at the Gold Coast manse of art collectors Norah and Norman Stone.
Even more romantic? Nary a pledge plea nor entreatment to engage in some civic-minded, culturally aware or life-saving cause was uttered.
Instead the Stones, one of EssEff’s most delightful, artistically minded duos, just wanted to share with friends a special art installation by artist Pierre
Huyghe, which he only allows to be pas de deuxed but once a year.
Titled “Singin’ in the Rain (1996),” this conceptual work is an homage to the late danceractor Gene Kelly and may only be performed on Feb. 2, the anniversary of Kelly’s death.
For the calendar’s remaining 364 days, the piece lies motionless, consisting only of a scuff-marked dancer’s plinth draped with the iconic shoes and raincoat similar to what Kelly wore in the famous film.
But this Feb. 2, S.F. Ballet corps member Charlene Cohen and Ballet soloist James So
franko breathed exquisite motion into Huyghe’s piece as they introduced his work by deftly dancing the dreamy “Our Love Is Here to Stay” sequence from Kelly’s movie “An American in Paris.”
Then Sofranko, umbrella in hand, slipped into a raincoat as he stepped atop the plinth to the strains of “Singing in the Rain” while the Stones’ houseman, Guangwu Lu, delightedly held a spurting sprinkler hose overhead.
Among observers: SFMOMA Director Neal Benezra and his wife, Maria Makela; Mimi Haas; SFMOMA curator Gary Garrels; industrial designer Yves Béhar and his partner, art adviser Sabrina Buell; Stanlee Gatti;
art adviser Mary Zlot; Matt and Katie Schwab Paige; gallerist Cheryl Haines; Abby Turin and John Ganz; Therese Post; and
art collectors Pam and Dick
Kramlich.
While the Stones are storied for their “Stonescape” art cave event — a lively, biennial summer soiree at their Calistoga vineyard — this was the inaugural performance event at their city residence. As well as the first time they’ve activated the “Singin’ ” piece since purchasing it in 2013 following Huyghe’s Paris retrospective at the Pompidou.
Though Huyghe, currently under retrospection down south at LACMA, was unable to at- tend, the Stones received his blessing to allow Sofranko to dance in a pair of shoes not associated with Huyghe’s original creation — a pair of rubber-soled gold Louboutins owned by Norman Stone.
“We own the actual shoes from the piece, along with the dance plinth and the work’s protocols,” explained Norah Stone, with a laugh. “And in the contemporary art world, there are lots of protocols to follow. But that’s what makes the art so interesting and challenging.”
Red-hot textiles: Four days later, in a curious alignment of EssEff alightings, we bumped into that renowned fashion designer himself, Christian
Louboutin, who created a frisson of excitement while touring the Tribal & Textile Arts Show at Fort Mason Center.
This preview gala, featuring a bountiful McCalls cocktail buffet, benefited the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas galleries at the de Young Museum.
And though Dede Wilsey, Fine Arts Museums board president as well as a dedicated fashion fan, had never met Louboutin, she’s recently been kicking up her red-soled heels at Louboutin’s chic Maiden Lane boutique.
“I ran into him there the other day, so I invited him to be my guest this evening,” she explained. “And Louboutin is as delightful and charming as his shoes.”
Textiles were also forefront in the mind of Richard
Scheller, the recently retired Genentech R&D chief, whose collection of rare African art, “Embodiments: Masters of African Figurative Sculpture,” recently opened at the de Young.
His exposure to this oeuvre developed over decades of African travels while observing animals on safari. During one such sojourn, he purchased some copies of African masks at a curio shop. Then Scheller delved deeper, buying books on the topic and becoming utterly enchanted.
“I’m thrilled to partner with the de Young on this exhibition because we’re caretakers of a history that has no written history,” enthused Scheller during the gala. “And I feel honored to share this history with a much wider audience.”
As for his curio-shopping days? Well, his eye is much better trained now.
“Oh, no,” Scheller said, with a laugh. “Now I need to shop at places like Sotheby’s and Christie’s.”