d aV I d PaT R I C K C O L U M B I a a p e r fo r m a n c e by p i a n i st l o l a a sta n o va at l i n c o l n c e n t e r
Misha Levintas
Love Is Here To Stay.” Michael Feinstein has also just published a book: The Gershwins and Me: A Personal History in Twelve Songs (Simon & Schuster). It’s an illustrated account of the Gershwin brothers, as told through stories of their most memorable songs. When Feinstein was a very young man of 20, he got a job working for Ira Gershwin in California. apparently, the next six years were a about a life-altering education, a mentoring, and a reinvigoration of the Gershwins’ work. More Art for Art’s Sake: On a Monday, mid-month, on a cold night after a light snow, 28 QUEST
Lola Astanova performing with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Patrick Park and Lola Astanova
I started the evening down at Jack Geary Contemporary, where Jack Geary was hosting the opening night of his gallery at 109 Norfolk Street with a show by artist Ayse Wilson. The exhibition not only showcases Wilson’s new works, where she “mines the threshold between infancy and adolescence, innocence and experience,” but also marked the debut of Jack Geary as a bona fide gallerist. Geary, who is the son of Hilary Geary Ross, has already experienced a financial career, but to have his own art gallery was an idea he’s been hatching for some time. He told me that night that he got to a point in his life
Grand Duchess Arianna of Russia and Nelson Lucero
Lim Luce and Chau-Giang Thi Nguyen
where he decided to just do it. and I’m all for that. Of Turkish descent, Wilson lives and works here in New york and is represented by the Pg art Gallery in Istanbul, Turkey, as well as by Jack Geary Contemporary. For several years, she was a painting assistant to Jeff Koons on large-scale, photo-realistic paintings. The opening drew a big crowd of friends and collectors, including Geary’s stepfather, Wilbur Ross. I went from Jack Geary’s opening back uptown to Michael’s restaurant, where Michael McCarty and his artist wife Kim were celebrating their birthdays. Both born
on February 10, the couple celebrated what, for Michael, was what some people consider (when they’re still young) to be a milestone year. The evening was a big dinner for 60 in the Garden Room. The McCartys have a wide array of good friends who they see on both coasts. Michael, of course, is a gourmand—to put it mildly. His idea of a good time is a feast with great wines and lots of things to savor and indulge in, capped off by some guitars jamming. Everyone feels right at home as a result. Then there was Fashion Week, mid-month. If you haven’t read enough about it already, don’t worry. There
m a n h at ta n s o c i e t y. co m by g r e g o ry pa rta n i o
Nadira Astanova and Sevar Astanoff