LADIES LOUNGE, MONA

So it’s a high tea but at MONA. Which means… it must be out there.

You bet. And the fun is in not knowing what you’re in for. What we can tell you is that it’s a very decadent, women-only high tea, held in the Ladies Lounge that was created by American artist Kirsha Kaechele (who’s married to MONA founder David Walsh). It’s an exclusive gathering for two for the princely sum of $500 – and you’ll be part of the artwork.

What actually happens?

Dress up in your finest green, gold, black and white (to complement the furnishings in the lounge). You’ll be met at the museum’s entrance by one of two butlers who’ll spend the next two hours attending to your every need. Although the lounge is only for women, the butlers are men. Why? “Because it’s fun to be waited on by men,” says Kaechele.

We can tell you there’s food.

Lots of it, actually. Expect canapé trees, caviar and spinning petit fours, all prepared by MONA’s executive chef, Vince Trim. There’s also alcohol on tap. Is that to encourage the “art” to get lively? “Absolutely,” says Kaechele. “In ancient times, witches would meet for a secret night-time ritual: they would rub hallucinogenic salve on their broomsticks and then ‘ride’ the broomsticks nude, absorbing the hallucinogen through their delicate skin. Things don’t get that wild in the Ladies Lounge but we do encourage women to cut loose!”

But not too loose as there’s significant art in the room…

The Ladies Lounge is a celebration of Kaechele’s great-grandmother, Tootsie, who hosted Pablo Picasso at her family’s estate in Switzerland. According to Kaechele, Picasso became obsessed by Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass, which Tootsie had just bought, and went on to create 27 paintings and 150 drawings inspired by the scandalous artwork. One of those paintings – Picasso’s

Luncheon on the Grass, After Manet

– hangs on the wall alongside Picasso’s

Reclining Nude.

What else do women get up to in there?

“Ask the butler!” says Kaechele. “But he’ll never tell.”