Saturday, July 15, 2006, 6 PM, The Watermill Center Grand Opening & 13th Annual Watermill Summer Benefit Hosted by Robert Wilson celebrating the opening of the new building. The Watermill Center, Robert Wilson’s 21st Century academy which was founded in 1992 by artistic director Robert Wilson as an international, multi-disciplinary center for studies in the arts and humanities. Located in a secluded, natural setting in Southampton, Long Island, New York, the Center has established a worldwide reputation as a unique laboratory for artists, students and individuals of all ages and backgrounds to explore the creative process. The Grand Opening Summer Benefit included a cocktail reception, live and silent art auctions, performances and installations by guest artists-in-residence Andrey Bartenev, Tania Bruguera, and Vadim Fishkin, an elegant seated dinner, dancing, and an exhibition of select works from the Watermill Collection curated by Jean-Paul Barbier-Muller. Hailed repeatedly as "the best party in the Hamptons", this gala regularly brings together the worlds of theater, art, fashion and society in a sophisticated and creative atmosphere. This year was no different. In the mix were who’s who array of patrons and benefactors including Ambassador John L. Loeb and his beautiful girlfriend Sharon Handler, Claudia Cohen, Tatum O’Neal (who this editor had a crush on as a kid) with son Kevin McEnroe, Lou Reed, Isabella Rossellini, Lee Lee Sobieski, Donna Karan and daughter Gabby Karan, Stefan Lang, Susan Shin, Blair Clarke, Lisa Anastos, Wohl Family Members: Arden, Denise & Larry Wohl, Sasha Bikoff and Donald Blanco and the Bikoff family, Bob Colacello, Debbie Bancroft, Dayssi Olarte De Kanavos and Paul Kanavos, Helen Lee Schifter & Tim Schifter, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Veronica Hearst, Katharina Otto-Bernstein, Tinsley Mortimer, Lauren Davis, Mary McFadden, Thom Filicia, Martin Gruss & Audrey Gruss, Henry Buhl and Michelle Hood, Jamee & Peter Gregory, Somers Farkas and Jonathan Farkas, Caterer extraordinaire Janet O’Brien, Thom Filicia, Kelly Behun Sugarman and her husband high powered Wall Street financier, Jay Sugarman from i-Star financial which the week before held its i-Star Annual Charity Shootout at Madison Square Garden to benefit the Robin Hood Foundation and human rights first. Also in attendance were society publicists and fashion press including R Couri Hay, Peggy Siegal, Diana Kashan, Virginia Coleman and Jim Shi from Fashion Week Daily as well as photographers Joe Schildhorn, Steve Eichner, Steve Sands and our own Gregory Partanio. Highlights of the evening were a performance by Martha Wainwright and an auction held by Simon de Pury which yielded a winning bid of $120,000 by acclaimed architect and designer Campion Platt and his lovely wife Tatiana (with one “N”) on an exclusive Video Portrait of Isabelle Hupert and Brad Pitt by Robert Wilson. PHOTO CREDIT: ©Manhattan Society.com 2006 by Gregory Partanio & Christopher London tel: 718.614.7740 | e-mail: PrinceGregory@manhattansociety.com ***PLEASE NOTE: This album has alot of photos with some of the best pictures owards the end of the album. The best ones were taken by The Prince of the City, Manhattan Society.com's own Gregory Partanio***