Van Alen Institute Launches Third Annual Auction of Art + Design Experiences

Featuring 25 distinctive experiences available on Paddle8.com from around the world with notable figures in art, architecture, and design, including a jaunt around Madrid with Rafael Moneo, a pedicure and foot casting with artist Diana Al-Hadid, dinner with Richard Rogers, and many more.

Media Contact: Steven Thomson (212) 924-7000 x 12 | sthomson@vanalen.org

NEW YORK, April 13, 2016 –Van Alen Institute’s third annual Auction of Art + Design Experiences goes live today via online auction house Paddle8, and features 25 international experiences with leading names in the creative world. The auction closes at 5 PM EDT on Wednesday, April 27.

“Often, our work deals with serious urban design challenges, but there is a very fun side to design that we celebrate each year with this auction,” said Van Alen Institute executive director David van der Leer. “How often can someone have the chance to eat a homemade meal at the Libeskind’s, then challenge Philippe Vergne and Gerard O’Brien to a game of doubles, then take in aerial views of Mexico City with Fernando Romero as a guide?”

“Now in its third edition, it’s been exciting to see the Auction of Art + Design Experiences develop into a Van Alen tradition,” said Stephen Cassell, chair of Van Alen’s board of trustees and principal of Architecture Research Office. “This year, we’re delighted to see two Pritzker Prize-winning architects represented.”

The following 2016 experiences were assembled by a committee of cultural experts: Iwan Baan, Hannah Byers (Sotheby’s), Alix Browne (W magazine), Gonzalo Cruz (AECOM), Victoria Newhouse, Dung Ngo (August Editions), Alex Polier (DNA), and Dan Rubenstein (Departures):

A Jaunt Around Madrid: You and a guest will accompany Rafael Moneo for his daily walk around the Spanish capital while absorbing the architect’s philosophy on design and materiality.
Foot Fetish: Indulge in pedicures with a friend and artist Diana Al-Hadid at a Brooklyn salon. Later, head over to Diana’s studio where she’ll make a cast of your freshly-pampered foot to be included in her next project.
Prime Your Palette with Richard Rogers: While you and a guest enjoy Ruth Rogers’ spectacular Italian food at London’s Michelin-starred River Cafe, Richard Rogers will join you to dish on design and cuisine.
Dinner at the Libeskinds’: Dine with Daniel Libeskind at the Libeskind’s apartment in Tribeca for one of Nina Libeskind’s famous home-cooked meals.
Game Set Match: Think you’ve got game? You and a friend will take on Philippe Vergne, Director of MOCA, and Gerard O’Brien, owner of Reform and The Landing galleries, in a USTA 4.0 doubles tennis match at a private court in Los Angeles.
Table for Four at The French Laundry: Elaine Molinar and Craig Dykers of Snøhetta will join you and a guest for 3-Michelin star restaurant The French Laundry’s famous tasting menu. After the meal, they’ll show you their firm’s recent renovations on the restaurant.
FR-EE Flight Over DF: Take in over 2,000 years of Mexico City’s extraordinary architecture in an afternoon helicopter ride with Fernando Romero.
Go Remote: Unwind and unplug at Fogo Island – an island off an island off the coast of Newfoundland. For two nights, you and a guest will get to go remote here at the award-winning Fogo Island Inn.
Food for the Seoul: Visit conceptual artist Kimsooja’s new show at the National Museum of Korea, where she will give you a tour of her work and encourage you to make interventions within the space. Then, you and five friends will dine with the who’s who of the Korean art world.
The ‘Girlfriend’ of Your Dreams: Set sail with architect Greg Lynn on his 42′ trimaran named Girlfriend.
Journey to the Blue Planet: Travel the Øresund strait from 3XN’s offices in Copenhagen to the Blue Planet, a 3XN-designed aquarium, with firm co-founder and principal Kim Herforth Nielsen on his motorboat.
Where’d Amale Get That?: Spend an afternoon at Zero + Maria Cornejo with store designer and dean of Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Amale Andraos and label designer Maria Cornejo for an indulgent personal shopping experience.
Inside Persia’s Imperial Past: An old Persian proverb describes Isfahan as half the world, and you’ll see why when you join architect Nader Tehrani for a two-day tour of this spectacular Iranian city.
Tripping in the Netherlands: You and nine guests will join MVRDV co-founder Winy Maas for a private tour of the wonderfully peculiar Rotterdam Markthal and one of its 228 apartment units.
Get Handsy in L.A: At The Haas Brothers studio in Los Angeles, learn how to create a nipple, a hand, and buttocks, all parts celebrated in the brothers’ sculptures and paintings.
Almuerzo con Bilbao y Barragán: Take an extended lunch break with Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao at Cuadra San Cristobal, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Luis Barragán and built in Atizapán de Zaragoza in 1960.
Inside Bon Appetit’s Test Kitchen: Try new recipes with the magazine’s executive editor Christine Muhlke before they hit newstands during one of the staff’s daily tastings.
Giorgio Vasari’s Last Supper Exclusive Viewing with Prada: Make an artist’s pilgrimage to Florence and feast your eyes upon “The Last Supper”, a wood-panel painting by 16th-century artist Giorgio Vasari that was restored by Prada in collaboration with FAI – Fondo Ambiente Italiano.
Marfa y Mezcal: Go south by southwest to Donald Judd’s compound in Marfa, Texas. You and a guest will be given a private tour of La Mansana de Chinati/The Block, Judd’s home and studio, and get to see works as installed by the artist throughout the compound courtesy of Judd Foundation.
Bright Idea Factory: Get to know lighting designer Lindsey Adelman while constructing your own chandelier with her guidance at her Manhattan workshop.
Brit Brutalism by Bike: Sam Jacob will lead you and four guests on a mobile exploration of London’s variety of housing types while giving rich commentary on British Brutalism.
Going Once, Going Twice: Join Richard Wright, founder and president of Wright, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the storied Chicago auction house. Following the tour, head over to the SoHo House in Chicago’s West Loop for cocktails and a conversation with Richard.
The Lowline Theory: The Lowline Lab plays host to a number of horticultural experiments fueled by solar energy, and, now, to a private cocktail party for you and your friends with designer James Ramsey.
Beijing Past/Present: Architect Ma Yansong of MAD leads you and a friend through the twists and turns of Beijing’s Jingshan Park and the adjacent Forbidden City, where you will explore courtyards and scale the artificial Jingshan Mountain.
The Escape Office: Collaborate with artist and architect Shawn Maximo to create a fantasy office catered to your own needs and secret desires.

For the first time this year, Van Alen will partner with global auction house Sotheby’s to live auction three experiences at the 2016 Spring Party tonight at The Tunnel in West Chelsea. Van Alen will kick off the auction with:

Manus x Machina: You and a guest will tour the The Met Costume Institute’s latest exhibition Manus x Machina with Susan Sellers, head of design; curator Andrew Bolton; and exhibition architect Shohei Shigematsu of OMA.
Backstage Pass: Join David Rockwell as he shows you how he brought 1930s Budapest to life on a tour of the She Loves Me stage with New York magazine’s Design Editor Wendy Goodman. Then, see the sets in action as you enjoy a performance of the hit Broadway revival.
Governors Island Ungoverned: You and up to 20 guests are invited to take a private ferry to Governors Island after hours. While there, pop some bottles and enjoy a sunset picnic on the not-yet-public Outlook Hill.

The 2016 Van Alen Spring Party is co-chaired by Andre Kikoski (Andre Kikoski Architect), John McCormick (The New Yorker), Elaine Molinar (Snøhetta), Margaret Newman (Arup), Carla Swickerath (Studio Libeskind), Trey Trahan (Trahan Architects), and Hunter Tura (Bruce Mau Design). The Spring Party is spearheaded by a committee of 38 architects, designers, writers, and supporters of Van Alen Institute.

About Van Alen Institute At Van Alen Institute, we believe design can transform cities, landscapes, and regions to improve people’s lives. We collaborate with communities, scholars, policymakers, and professionals on local and global initiatives that rigorously investigate the most pressing social, cultural, and ecological challenges of tomorrow. Building on more than a century of experience, we develop cross-disciplinary research, provocative public programs, and inventive design competitions.

Website: past.vanalen.org Facebook: /vanaleninstitute Twitter: @van_alen Instagram: @van_alen

About Paddle8 Paddle8 is the leading secondary marketplace for art and luxury collectibles worldwide. Breaking down many of the traditional barriers to art dealing and collecting, the company offers both veteran and novice collectors a seamless online process to discover, sell and purchase works of art, furniture, jewelry and luxury collectibles through for-profit auctions, non-profit auctions and private sales. Servicing a community of more than 500,000 collectors worldwide, Paddle8 combines the taste and trust of a traditional auction house with the efficiency and global reach of the Internet to create a destination that makes it simple for collectors to buy and sell. Paddle8 is especially proud to partner with over 300 non-profit organizations worldwide to present their benefit auctions to a global community of collectors, helping each organization expand its fundraising results. Led by co-founders Alexander Gilkes, Aditya Julka, and Osman Khan, Paddle8 was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Paddle8 is funded by the investors behind Uber, Vimeo, Buzzfeed, Paperless Post, Warby Parker, and Bonobos, among others, as well as art-world insiders including Rolf Sachs, Stavros Niarchos, Damien Hirst, Jay Jopling and David Zwirner.

For more information, visit Paddle8.com.

About Sotheby’s Sotheby’s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby’s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby’s presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby’s BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids in real-time from anywhere in the world. Sotheby’s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby’s Financial Services, the world’s only full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art department, as well as Sotheby’s Diamonds and Sotheby’s Wine. Sotheby’s has a global network of 90 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).