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28 A CURRIN COUP AT CONTEMPORARY DALLAS L ike any gay boy to a disco ball, my eyes went immediately to the massive blue stone on one of her delicate fingers. It had a delightful backstory. She and Currin had first spotted it when they were looking for engagement rings 20 years ago. Many years later, he purchased it with a check he received after his work was featured (and commented on with aplomb by Hugh Grant's character) in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Currin charmed his side of the table with stories ranging from the dream that was the genesis for the painting Fishermen (on view in "My Life As A Man") to the series inspired by vintage ads from Playboy magazine. Meanwhile, I bonded with Feinstein. We connected on the New Wave and late punk movements that provided inspiration for a generation of artists in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Miami. We were both in New York City around the mid-'90s, and talked about about how the art world then seemed much smaller, as did the number of watering holes that everyone seemed to frequent — Amy Sacco's Spy, Wax, and Pravda — and the Beige parties at the Bowery Bar and Grill on Tuesdays, where one might see JFK Jr. canoodling in a corner booth with then-girlfriend Daryl Hannah. However, Feinstein was most excited to discuss her upcoming exhibition at the Jewish Museum, "Rachel Feinstein: Maiden, Mother, Crone" — her first U.S. survey, bringing together sculpture, installation, paintings, and video from the past 30 years. Also making the dinner cut were faces from the international art crowd, including artists Michael Elmgreen and Ignar Dragset, in town to install the "Elmgreen & Dragset" exhibition at the Nasher Sculpture Center; Richard Phillips, who sits on the board of Dallas Contemporary; and London gallerist Sadie Coles. A contingent from Berlin was atwitter about heading to Marfa the next morning. As the hour crept to midnight, Ubers were summoned, and late-night watering options — honky-tonks, gay strip bars, and, of course, Midnight Rambler at The Joule (where many were staying) — were discussed and weighed. Where did I and some of the more high-profile guests end up? I won't say … One must leave some air of mystery. (continued from page 26) Michael Buss, Hannah Fagadau John Currin on parade Tim Flannery, Amy Adams & Mike D'Alexander Alicja Kwade Becky Bruder, Ben & Max Trowbridge Jessica Vaughn, Jose Martos John Clutts, Rosa Langley, Sami Arslanlar