MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Two-time Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank may be a veteran at her chosen craft, but she admits she’s still a newbie art collector.
Swank attended a kick-off party Tuesday night for Art Basel Miami Beach, the prestigious extension of the annual contemporary art fair in Basel, Switzerland. The actress said she loves collecting everything from photographs to sculptures and doesn’t gravitate to a particular medium or period, but instead chooses the pieces that speak to her.
“I think that art either makes you learn something new about yourself or makes you relate to something in yourself or is simply entertaining and that’s the beauty of it,” said Swank, who wore a short black, lace dress. “I love how it makes the world bigger and how it expands my whole idea of life.”
Swank, who is returning from the longest break of her career after caring for her father for the past 18 months following a lung transplant, was one of about three dozen people at an intimate dinner party at the Delano hotel. The event was hosted by former Ocean Drive publisher Jason Binn for his current magazine DuJour.
Sylvester Stallone, an avid painter, fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and Ivana Trump also attended the dinner before hitting up an elegant poolside bash. Hilary hugged Binn and gave a short, emotional speech at the dinner, crediting him with giving her one of her first magazine covers before she was famous.
The chic magazine has a knack for spotting up-and-comers. Binn also gave Kim Kardashian her first cover.
Famed photographer Bruce Weber and Oscar-winner Adrien Brody both made late appearances at the party, which was rather tame compared to most Art Basel bashes.
Miley Cyrus infamously performed last year at a nearby hotel wearing only nipple pasties and smoked pot onstage.
Art Basel officially opens Thursday, but many independent fairs and events will open days earlier, and the glitterati are already in town ready to toast them.
Brody is showing a collection of paintings this year, “Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and Handguns,” focusing on violence in society and the desire for instant gratification.
It’s “a meditation on the fact that violent imagery is as commonplace as fast-food in our society,” said the actor, who grew up in a creative home. His mother is a photographer, and his father is a painter.
Brody, who wore a black leather jacket and his hair casually pulled back in a ponytail, said he’s less encumbered when he’s painting than when he’s acting.
“I’m elated, I feel renewed and my spirited is reinvigorated, and I get to express so much that I feel is relevant … and also perhaps have a voice in creating a discussion.”
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