All the Artists in Miami Came Out to the Opening Night of the Rubell Museum 

Every year in Miami when Art Basel rolls around, locals prepare for the elegant madness, an influx of chic from all around the world.

Last night and on the eve of Art Basel Miami, the place to see and be seen was at the opening party for the brand-new, newly relocated Rubell Museum—a collection that boasts large-scale works by Keith Haring, Sterling Ruby, Jeff Koons, Anselm Kiefer, and many others.

Moving from Wynwood to the not-yet-gentrified Allapattah neighborhood, according to Michelle Rubell, “the space was so unbelievable here. We came and found these fruit and vegetable warehouses that were too magnificent for storage, and when my husband, Jason, and his mother, Mera, entered the space, they envisioned the crazy idea of having a museum here, so we gave birth to it.”

Indeed, they did. The ritz and glitz were in full effect as guests speaking a smattering of languages gathered alongside Vanity Fair’s editor in chief, Radhika Jones, and the Rubell family, who socialized with all throughout the evening. But what else would you expect from the brother of Studio 54’s Steve Rubell, Don, and his wife, Mera?

Speaking of guests, Miami’s culturati came out; Carol Iacovelli arrived decked from head to toe in Balmain, while Elizabeth Beracasa—who resides in Venezuela, Switzerland, and Miami—opted for a more-simple black dress. Finishing one another’s sentences, the best friends accepted the invite because they “wanted to see what our friends—the Rubells, who we have huge admiration for—had up their sleeves.”

After mingling in the garden area, guests entered the collection itself and could converse with Mickalene Thomas right under her very own artwork. The Dior-clad artist-cum-celebrity cracked a smile while opening up about the Rubells and how they have been so supportive of artists like herself. “Seeing what they did in this magnitude and allowing their art to be housed in a wonderful space where people can view it makes me really happy for them.”

Renowned gallerist Jeffrey Deitch called the collection “truly astonishing,” adding, “there is no contemporary art museum in the world that can give you such an expansive and deep insight into contemporary artists today.” Other notables included Maison De Mode’s sustainability king Hassan Pierre, who came alongside the ever-so-colorful Versace Home designer Sasha Bikoff, David Simkins, Juliana and Alex Krys, Esther Park, Jessica Plair Sirmans, Jillian Jacobson, Morgan Shara, and Gloria Porcella.

Sipping on Casa Dragones, everyone enjoyed music by the Misshapes, nibbled on passed hors d’oeuvres, and took in their incredible surrounds. What a way to ring in the festivities ahead!