Dining with Dia

On Monday night, some of the art world’s most notable characters gathered at the Dia Foundation’s sprawling Chelsea space for the institution’s annual Fall Night fundraiser. “Working with Dia is talking to people about things that don’t exist yet—Dia’s legacy is it’s future,” said Lawrence Weiner as he dined with fellow artists Brice Marden and Julian Schnabel under sheets of pink and yellow neon Plexiglas that were suspended from the ceiling. Nearby, Rob Pruitt shared a laugh with Gavin Brown’s Enterprise director—and certified style star—Lucy Chadwick before a screening of a short film by the French experimental filmmaker Babette Mangolte. The subject: Steve Paxton, whose work was on display at Dia:Beacon in October alongside their permanent collection of works by Dan Flavin, Robert Morris, and Richard Serra. After dinner, guests made their way into a nearby room for drinks and dancing and dessert while geometric-shaped light projections bounced off the walls.