Van Cleef & Arpels Sponsors Annual Watermill Center Benefit – WWD

The annual Watermill Center summer benefit on Saturday evening had an unexpected performance show up mid-event: a rainstorm. But the weather didn’t put a proverbial damper on Robert Wilson’s restaging of his piece “Ubu,” which featured a live narration from Wilson himself after a sound system malfunction. The evening, which raises support for the center’s programming and support of performance art, marked the first time that one of the Watermill founder’s pieces has been performed in New York in almost a decade. “Ubu” originally premiered at the Es Baluard museum in Palma in 2022.

The outdoor benefit kicked off with more than 19 performance installations by the center’s artists-in-residence, located throughout the center’s campus in Water Mill, New York. Guests included Blythe Danner, Daniel Arsham, Robert Longo, Lisa Perry, Legacy Russell, Young Paris, Coco Fusco and Cuba Gooding Jr.

“The Body: The Watermill Center Summer Benefit” was sponsored by Van Cleef & Arpels, and honored artist Simone Forti and the late Baroness Nina von Maltzahn. Additional support for the event was provided by Prada, Aperol, Campari and PFrankMD.