Art world insiders, design leaders, and creative peers convened yesterday as Salon 21 by Alex Bass hosted an intimate garden dinner at the Maidstone Hotel, inspired by the Italian coast. Between sumptuous plates of seafood, guests clinked glasses in the balmy weather, discussed Salon 21’s summer exhibition “La Dolce Vita,” and looked ahead to the gallery’s fall reopening in a new WSA space.
The Locale: The Maidstone Hotel’s lush East Hampton garden, a coastal escape featuring twinkling lights, flowing wine, and the hum of easy conversation among friends and collaborators.
The Occasion: A celebratory dinner marking Salon 21’s “La Dolce Vita” summer exhibition, an ode to European elegance, and the gallery’s upcoming fall relaunch at the New York arts and culture hub WSA (what the Times called “the first ‘It’ building.”)
The Crowd: A discerning mix of cultural connectors and peers sat around the table, including curator and publisher Sharon Coplan Hurowitz, Watermill Center Managing Director Elise Herget, lifestyle creative and TODAY Show Expert Correspondent Katie Sands Bochner, interior designer Sarah Rinehart Fleischer, Forbes interior design contributor Amanda Lauren, Eastville Community Historical Society Executive Director Dr. Georgette Grier-Key, and filmmaker Christian Scheider.
Food and Drink: Château Sainte Marguerite rosé and neat pours of Tears of Llorona tequila opened the night, followed by yellowtail crudo with pickled red onion, and gnocchi with clams—a menu designed to channel the beauty and simplicity of the Italian coast.
Cause for FOMO: As if the garden soirée didn’t already channel la dolce vita to the maximum, guests departed with gift bags packed with espresso mugs, pasta, olive oil, and other Italian summer staples.
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