On Wednesday, December 2, Haute Living co-hosted a large reception of over 1000 people for contemporary collage artist Daniel Mazzone at 1 Hotel South Beach who debuted 24 brand new pieces for the opening.
The artist hails from Toronto with work that consists of brightly colored, figurative collages that have led billionaire and hedge fund titan Michael Wekerle to call him “the next Andy Warhol.” The works include a built-in visual history of the subject consisting of original letters, magazine covers, song lyrics and other materials relevant to the pieces.
“My objective is to give a different perspective on how we look at a work of art and in turn, how we look at life. There is more to what we see if we really allow ourselves the chance to stop and look. Not only does this allow us to enjoy more of life, but it also provides a new lens through which we can view the intricacies of life; essentially, what it means to be human,” Mazzone has said of his work.
Mazzone’s story is an interesting one, that involves overcoming homelessness and dropping and picking up art a few times. It wasn’t until Mazzone lent a piece to a friend who owned a restaurant, which promptly sold it as well as successive ones, that he took it seriously as a career. Now his pieces sell for more than $15,000.
In addition to enjoying cocktails from Midori, 50 Bleu, Stella Artois and Jean-Luc Colombo, the attractive crowd got to meet the artist and get a little history behind the various, eye-popping works.
Sponsors included Haute Living, Alliance Bernstein, Compass and Friends of New World Symphony to create a young, VIP crowd ready to take in the colorful items.
1 Hotel is Miami Beach’s most luxurious eco hotel and has served as the epicenter of social activities in the 12 months since it’s grand opening.
