The Setai Miami Beach Kicks Off Art Basel Miami Beach With A Celebration Of Gaetano Pesce

Monday night, the Setai Miami Beach kicked off Art Basel Miami Beach with a celebration of iconic Italian artist Gaetano Pesce.

Guests including Jean Nouvel, Chuck Close, Nikolai Haas, Michele Oka Doner, Karim Rashid, Sara Arison of Arison Arts Foundation, Dominique Levy, Laura de Gunzburg, Bass Museum Director Silvia Cubina, Sir Norman Rosenthal and Javier Peres joined hosts Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn and Paul Johnson to preview Gaetano Pesce’s Tree Vase XXL, the centerpiece of his latest sculptural series, installed in the intimate oceanfront resort’s newly renovated courtyard.

"The Tree Vase Series is a novelty to me. The tree is alive, it moves under the force of the breeze, it is always different and it is a miracle of nature," Gaetano Pesce said. "All this has inspired me to turn it into a type of work that is very dear to me, the 'maternal womb vase.' I love to create vases shaped as trees with elastic materials resembling the movement of the trees when touched by the wind."

The internationally lauded Pesce, renowned for his multidisciplinary practice and iconic furniture designs currently has solo exhibitions at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and at Museo del Novecento and Piazza Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy. The complete Tree Vase series, along with a selection of cabinets, will be presented by Salon 94 Design, a collaboration between Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn and Paul Johnson, during Design Miami, which brings together influential collectors, designers, curators and critics from around the world to celebrate design culture and commerce.

“We are thrilled to welcome the legendary Gaetano Pesce to the Setai and are honored to feature his site-specific installation in our newly renovated courtyard. Tree Vase XXL is the perfect complement to the lush Zen-like space, an ultimate refuge away from the tents and a discreet oasis for our guests and residents during this exciting week,” said Alex Furrer, the general manager of the property.

Situated in the courtyard, Tree Vase XXL installation will inaugurate the newly renovated space, which now features a built-in retractable rooftop that fully expands, allowing guests unparalleled sky views while enjoying the cool ocean breeze. A stone-filled pool stretches from the north to the south end of the courtyard with dining tables surrounding the edge. In addition to increasing the space’s versatility, the renovated Courtyard Bar arrives in time for Art Basel Miami Beach, offering guests sophisticated libations regardless of the city’s unpredictable weather.

Other VIP guests at the event included Ruth Shuman, Cathy Leff, Kavi Gupta, Design Miami director Rodman Primack, Cora Bischofberger Sheibani, Cedric Morisset, Felix Burrichter, Sarah Harrelson, George Lindemann, Outsider Art Fair founder Andrew Edlin, Ben Brown, Henri Timi, Tatiana Silva and Fabian Basabe.