SCENE AND HEARD
“I’m Not Buying Anything”: On the Grounds at the Armory’s Young Collectors Night
Young Collectors Night, photographed by Emma Stout.
THURSDAY 8:22 PM JANUARY 30, 2025 UPTOWN
It’s safe to say there were as many characters as antique wares on display last Thursday night at the Park Avenue Armory. Art lovers—and some stragglers looking for an open bar—ventured uptown for The Winter Show’s Young Collectors Night to comb through the collections and people-watch. Brynn Whitfield of The Real Housewives of New York entered on the arm of a silver fox. Girls in capes and floor-length gowns held onto their sharky-looking boyfriends as couples got progressively tipsy throwing back whiskey sours. And by the end of the night, an octogenarian who’d been hanging by the coat check began asking every girl in the venue for their phone number. Even Leo Braudy, Love Is Blind’s art dealer extraordinaire, had to swoop in and save his date. Amidst the buzz of conversation and new money, we pulled aside several collectors, some only aspiring, to get their thoughts on the scene. The question on everyone’s mind: what’s up with all the horse paintings?
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ADAM CHARLAP HYMAN & PILAR ALMON | INTERIOR DESIGNERS
EMMA STOUT: So you’re bicoastal?
ADAM CHARLAP HYMAN: Yes. We’re a bicoastal interior design and architecture firm. We kind of call ourselves just a design firm. My partner, Adam Eli, and I are being honored this year at The Winter Show’s Young Collectors Night. We’re very thrilled and pleased and honored. I’ve loved collecting and history for so long, to be in the antique world is very cool to me.
STOUT: Have any antiques tonight caught your eye?
CHARLAP HYMAN: I will say my favorite things are things that are hard to get in the US. So I’m always excited to see a European dealer in New York when they come with amazing things. There are these mirrors by Dagobert Peche, a pair of 1920s Viennese mirrors that are chunky and really rare. They’re just, like, impossible to find. They’re scary, weird, creaky; Viennese, you know? And I would give anything for those.
STOUT: Is that your mom?
CHARLAP HYMAN: This is my mom.
PILAR ALMON: Hi, Emma, I’m Pilar. Nice to meet you.
CHARLAP HYMAN: She’s an amazing jewelry designer. Everything she’s wearing is hers.
STOUT: Are you enjoying yourself, mom?
ALMON: So much, yeah. I love that this is his world, this little corner of the universe. [Laughs]
STOUT: Are you a collector yourself?
ALMON: Oh yeah, we have always collected so much stuff. I mean, he grew up with all sorts of weird collections.
STOUT: What’s your least favorite kind of art?
ALMON: Paintings of horses from England. But you know what, who knows? Maybe in five or ten years, we’ll be loving those. That’s the beauty of it. Your taste changes.
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COCO MELLORS | AUTHOR
STOUT: Remind me, again, what book you wrote.
COCO MELLORS: Cleopatra and Frankenstein. It came out in 2022.
STOUT. So are you here as a voyeur or a collector?
MELLORS: I think I’m here as a collector of people. I’m always looking for people who look interesting, sound interesting, have amazing points of view that could potentially be fun to include in a novel.
STOUT: What’s your favorite art museum in New York for people-watching?
MELLORS: The Neue Galerie, right across the street from the Met. It’s German and Austrian paintings from the 20th century, and then Cafe Sabarsky downstairs.
STOUT: I’ve heard the food is really good.
MELLORS: Yeah. I mean, if you are into some heavy soups.
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BRYNN WHITFIELD | THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK
STOUT: Are you here as a collector?
BRYNN WHITFIELD: I am not. I am here as an admirer, viewer, appreciator, and wannabe collector.
STOUT: And a partier.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, a partier forever.
STOUT: What are you drinking?
WHITFIELD: I’m drinking whiskey. Straight up, always. Neat, no ice. You gotta grow some hairs on your chest.
STOUT: It’s that kind of a night. Did you go to Art Basel last year?
WHITFIELD: No, but I went to Frieze in London.
STOUT: Did you buy anything?
WHITFIELD: I actually bought one small thing. The cheapest thing there—
STOUT: A postcard?
WHITFIELD: [Laughs] A finger painting. But I wanna start collecting samurai helmets. And I’ve been talking with a dealer in Mayfair about purchasing one, but I can’t stop. And where am I gonna put these things?
STOUT: Maybe you could wear it to a reunion.
WHITFIELD: I know. People wore them on the battlefield for a reason.
STOUT: What are you wearing, by the way?
WHITFIELD: A little caftan moment. I think it’s my new favorite thing. They’re so comfortable. And then a little antique bag, I can bring it everywhere.
STOUT: It’s so cute.
WHITFIELD: That’s all. I don’t have my keys. I don’t have anything. Oh my god. I’m helpless at the art fair.
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SINXERO | ARTIST
STOUT: What are you wearing?
SINXERO: A custom-made suit. I actually picked this up from Egypt, I was out there a couple months ago.
STOUT: So are you here buying?
SINXERO: Actually, I’m an artist.
STOUT: As an artist, what’s the last piece of art you bought?
SINXERO: All the artwork I have has been gifted to me. It helps having artist friends.
STOUT: What do you think the art capital of the world is?
SINXERO: It’s tricky. I’ve always loved New York. I’m originally from out here, the Bronx.
STOUT: What’s your least favorite thing you’ve seen tonight?
SINXERO: Well, we’re all mirrors. So if you see a piece of art you don’t like, that may be a little conversation you need to have with yourself. Do some shadow work.
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ISABELLE BSCHER | GALLERIST
STOUT: Where are your boots from? I love them.
ISABELLE BSCHER: The boots are these two sisters in Brussels, a brand called Filles a Papa. They make the best cowboy boots, I think.
STOUT: What’s the key to selling?
BSCHER: I don’t know. Every time a painting sells it feels like a miracle.
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JONNY CARTAGEÑA | ACCOUNT MANAGER
STOUT: What are you drinking?
JONNY CARTAGEÑA: It’s a single malt whiskey. Whiskey is the drink of the year— and whiskey cocktails. They have a whiskey margarita, too. You would like a spicy margarita.
STOUT: That’s me through and through.
CARTAGEÑA: It’s the hoops.
STOUT: So are you browsing or collecting?
CARTAGEÑA: Girl, did you see the prices? There’s a painting down in the corner. It’s worth $875,000. It’s literally 20 by 20. That’s a house down payment. I’m not buying anything. And you can quote me on that. I could go to a vintage store, buy a couple things, and be like, “Here, this was from France.”
STOUT: “Midcentury.”
CARTAGEÑA: I would probably tell a really good story behind it. That’s the thing. There’s some good storytelling here.
STOUT: Is there anyone cute here tonight?
CARTAGEÑA: No, I love my boyfriend. But there are some cute guys, some dads.
STOUT: What are you doing after this?
CARTAGEÑA: Burgers and fries. A couple more whiskeys.
Cake made by Lauren Schofield.
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MATTHEW HAVENS & OLIVER CHENE | ARCHITECTS
STOUT: Are you guys here collecting?
MATTHEW HAVENS: We’re not. But we would love to collect. We’re prospective collectors. But no, we’re architects.
STOUT: How old is everyone?
HAVENS: Probably like, 26 to 29.
STOUT: You think so?
OLIVER CHENE: There’s some older men here.
STOUT: They’re bringing up the average.
HAVENS: But I think the demographic is leaning a little bit more female.
STOUT: Well, that’s good for you guys, right?
CHENE: We’re here for the art. [Laughs]
STOUT: Have you guys seen any art that was ugly?
HAVENS: Can I prompt him with the question? What is your take on portraits of horses?
CHENE: Oh my god, and for what? We’re anti-horse paintings. And silverware. There’s a whole corner of silverware.
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MAEVE ZIMMERMAN & HILARY CIANCIOLO
STOUT: What are you wearing?
HILARY CIANCIOLO: I’m wearing my mom’s vintage cape.
MAEVE ZIMMERMAN: My dress is A.L.C, my shoes are J.Crew, and the bone cuff is Tiffany.
STOUT: Are you here collecting?
ZIMMERMAN: Learning. Getting inspired.
CIANCIOLO: Maybe collecting if we feel like it. We’re all in the art world, and two of us used to work at The Winter Show. We interned here in grad school.
STOUT: Is there anyone cute here tonight?
ZIMMERMAN: [Laughs] The girlies. I think there were a lot more girls than guys. We made some new friends. And the style is always top-notch. It’s very uptown.
STOUT: Where are you ending the night?
ZIMMERMAN: A slice of pizza.
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AV MARC | COLLECTOR
AV MARC: It’s vintage everything.
STOUT: I love it. Did someone source these things for you?
MARC: No. Me, myself, and I.
ATTENDEE: Did you see Arlene? Hi!
STOUT: Everyone loves you, Arlene. You’re the talk of the town. Are you here buying? Socializing?
MARC: All of the above.
STOUT: What’s the last piece of art you bought?
MARC: Paintings. Illustrations. I buy things. I’m all over the place.
STOUT: Do you have any shopper’s regrets?
MARC: No, I’m pretty good, you know? There’s a few mistakes, but not a big one. I don’t even remember. If you ask me what happened yesterday, I don’t even remember. [Laughs]
STOUT: I black out when I shop, too. What are you doing after this?
MARC: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I’m going to rest because I have breakfast here in this building tomorrow.
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EDWARD & SCARLET SARGANT
STOUT: Where is your suit from?
EDWARD SARGENT: It’s Davide Cenci from Rome. You should ask her about her dress.
STOUT: I’ll take the bait. I love the feathers.
SCARLET SARGENT: This is my grandmother’s vintage from the 70s.
STOUT: So are you guys here buying?
EDWARD SARGENT: We’re trying to buy. But at the same time we’re trying to sell all the stuff we bought last year.
STOUT: What’d you buy last year?
SCARLET SARGENT: There was that sofa…
EDWARD SARGENT: Some miniature playing cards on silk. They’re beautiful, but I mean, I don’t know how you play on silk.
STOUT: How much was the last piece you guys bought?
EDWARD SARGENT: It’s hard to convert the euros to dollars. Probably 120. Thousand dollars.
SCARLET SARGENT: He’s got his eye on a very pricey mirror at the moment.
STOUT: Oh, I think I heard about this mirror. Viennese?
SCARLET SARGENT: It’s in the same booth, but not that one. It’s to the left, and it’s glass with the mirror floating in it.
EDWARD SARGENT: It’s extremely overpriced.
SCARLET SARGENT: And it’s not in the color you want it. He’s seen the blue one, and he really wants the blue one.
STOUT: What’s your biggest regret from the night?
SCARLET SARGENT: All the people socializing and not looking at the art.
EDWARD SARGENT: They should age the whiskey by another ten years before they serve it.
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LEO BRAUDY | ART DEALER
LEO BRAUDY: Not to be… I assume you know who I am?
STOUT: I do.
BRAUDY: I assumed you didn’t just pluck me out of a crowd.
STOUT: Right. Are you here buying or socializing?
BRAUDY: Everyone’s socializing. This is Young Collector’s Night at The Winter Show. I was already here earlier on business.
STOUT: How’s business?
BRAUDY: [Turns to companion] I’ll be there in one second. I’m doing an interview I’ll probably regret. Who are you with again?
STOUT: Interview Magazine. Do you know Andy Warhol?
BRAUDY: I think I’ve heard of him.
STOUT: How’s the market?
BRAUDY: It’s not great, but it’s paying the bills.
STOUT: Was there anyone cute here tonight?
BRAUDY: Well, there’s a lot of beautiful women here. It’s an art event.
STOUT: What are you wearing?
BRAUDY: Oh, we’re doing a fit check.
STOUT: Yeah, take us through it.
BRAUDY: [Loro Piana] Open Walks on the feet. A Bonobos tie. And the jacket is good old-fashioned Jos. A. Bank.
