The party secrets.

[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]

One cool evening The Delhi Walla attended the opening of ‘Frammenti Expo ’67: Alexander Calder, E Emilio Vedova’, an art exhibition in Magazzino del Sale in Zattere, Venice. (I’m in Europe!)

The venue was a former salt godown. Some of the guests were the most distinguished members of the Venetian society, the kind who have massive collections of museum-material paintings piled up in their palace-like homes.

These important people stood by the Canale della Giudecca and made unimportant talks over rounds of aperitifs. Mario Messinis, Italy’s great music critic and former art director of La Fenice opera house, arrived with his professor wife, the lovely Paola. They go to every notable party of Venice. Giovanni Alliata di Montereale, descendent of the philanthropist Cini family, was seen making a joke with Eemilio Melli, the former director of Palazzao Grassi. Also spotted–Alfredo Bianchini, president, Fondazione Emilio Vedova, and Germano Celant, curator of the aforementioned exhibition.

Almost all the stylish men were dressed in long flowing beards. One woman stood out in her light pink overcoat that had red collars, but nobody seemed to know her name. Also seen: a cute puppy. Nobody seemed to know the puppy’s name too.

Party with a difference

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