Photos: Stefanie Keenan/WireImage

When Bryan Rabin first told me about PHOTO 15, last year, I was taken enough that I ran it up my family’s flagpole, and we decided to make a donation.  After meeting with John Gile, I figured I’d have to check out PHOTO 16, for myself.  And that’s just what I did.

An annual art auction to support the creation of The AIDS Monument, in the City of West Hollywood, PHOTO 16 was held, last Thursday, at Milk Studios – both because it’s one of Los Angeles’ premier event spaces (to give you an idea, the last time I was there, was for the #DPxLA event, celebrating the collaboration between Dom Pérignon and David Lynch), and because owner Willie Maldanado has generously opted to make Milk the evening’s presenting sponsor.  (Sometimes, one plus one really does equal two!)

Rabin is one of the country’s premier event producers, and between Eric Buterbaugh’s floral designs and the incredible photos that lined the walls – not to mention the exquisite Dita von Teese at the podium – the event was stunning.  Foreshadowing, I’d like to think, the monument for which we had gathered to raise funds. 

The AIDS Monument will stand as a world class work of art and serve as an internationally known site to memorialize, honor and inform those involved in the fight against AIDS; and, designed by Daniel Tobin, will be a permanent installation in West Hollywood Park.

But those photos, though!  Artists including Antonio Lopez, Ed Ruscha, Herb Ritts, Bruce Weber, François Nars, Ellen von Unwerth, Mark Seliger, Andrew MacPherson, Norman Seeff, Greg Gorman, Julias Shulman, Christopher Makos, Arthur Elgort, Mathieu Bitton, Brad Elterman, Mick Rock, Albert Sanchez, Jeff Wall, and Tyler Curtis (as well as yours truly, btw…) had works under the hammer, that night – with the live auction helmed by the charming Gabriel Butu, for Paddle8.

Seen on the scene were Las Vegas resident Lionel Richie and the original Catwoman, herself, Miss Julie Newmar (the subjects of works by Alan Silfen and Sean Black, respectively); turbanista Julia Clancey; design-duo Claude Morais and Brad Wolk, of Wolk Morais; hair maestro Danilo, curator Rose Apodaca, FourTwoNine's Richard Klein and Merle Ginsberg; theremin virtuoso Armen Ra; producers Francesca Silvestri and Kevin Chinoy; OPUS Reps founder, Bobby Heller (another major sponsor of the evening); and more photographers, muses, and patrons than you could shake a well-coiffed stick at.

At the end of the night, more than $300,000 had been raised, deals had been struck, art had been acquired, and friendships had been made.  Not too shabby!

PHOTO 16: An Auction to Benefit the AIDS Monument
Milk Studios | Los Angeles
Click HERE for info

Get into it!
#PHOTO16