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Betsy Bloomingdale: The Art of Entertaining

On the eve of the Bloomingdale auctions, Luxury Defined spoke with Michael Moore of Christie’s on how to match individual lots with luxury real estate

Betsy Bloomingdale (1922-2016) was not only a standard bearer of style, she was virtually her own brand. Bearing the eponymous surname of her husband’s family’s department-store enterprise, she was also a prominent socialite and member of President Reagan’s “kitchen cabinet.” Now, the magnificent Bloomingdale collection will soon be auctioned both online and in the saleroom by Christie’s. 

Photography Credit: Photographer unknown, courtesy of the Estate of Betsy Bloomingdale.
Photography Credit: Photographer unknown, courtesy of the Estate of Betsy Bloomingdale.

Luxury Defined interviewed Michael Moore of Christie’s, who has spent the last 18 years producing auction events nationally and globally, from Art Basel to Aspen, from London to Shanghai. Michael has produced numerous event-driven auctions for prominent charitable organizations including singer Bono’s RED Auctions. His passion for creating unique and compelling experiences for collectors has led him to curate travel programs in cities including Paris, Prague, Madrid, and Beijing.  Michael’s eye for capturing the right object for the right circumstance and setting is a practiced one, and we’ve asked him to suggest some appropriate placements and flourishes for a handful of notable Bloomingdale objets and furnishings, and how to create an “event” around them.

Perfect Design Pairings for a Wine Party

South African Wine Country Estate
Cape Town, South Africa 

Award-winning architect Stefan Antoni designed this chic estate in South Africa’s Franschhoek wine district. The gleaming residence is noted for its expansive high-ceilinged living areas, grand terrace, and muted color schemes.

Christie’s Moore suggests staging a wine party in the living room. “I’d deploy the suite of green-painted metal and outline-quilted floral seat furniture [Lot 141] in this room—together with the other William Haines accessories like the standing lamp [Lot 139] and the white marble low table [Lot 140].”

Moore also suggested adding a bit of “California flair” to the proceedings: “I’d serve some of my favorite wines—Colgin, Eisele, and Araju. Of course, we would decant and serve from the group of cut-glass decanters [Lot 233].”

As for entertainment, he’d go out on a limb and draw from the L.A. talent pool: “It would be a real treat if I could persuade artist Mark Bradford to be host D.J. and play through sunset on the terrace, with a surprise performance by the street-dance innovator Lil Buck.”

Setting the Foundation for Artful Entertaining

Celebrity English Country Estate
Saddle River, New Jersey

This fully renovated and expanded Saddle River English Country Estate is an ideal residence for entertaining in the grand traditional manner. The home’s colorful, dramatic interiors have been beautifully staged by Mark Polo for the Urban Dweller.

I would love to see what a contemporary chef would do with Mrs. Bloomingdale’s famous peanut butter and bacon hors d’oeuvres.

Michael Moore envisions this home as a fitting venue for an artistic fundraiser or event: “Mrs. Bloomingdale’s early George III Mahogany dining table [Lot 61] would work perfectly for the dining room in this home,” he says.  “I can imagine a very lively dinner served using the Royal Copenhagen porcelain “Flora Danica” service [Lot 62] to honor, for example, the artistic advisory board of an outstanding artist-led local nonprofit.”

Moore suggests that the board members could be treated to a post-dinner performance curated by the organization’s founder. “Mrs. Bloomingdale famously celebrated arts and culture in her time, and it would be fitting to continue that gesture with our great artists of today and tomorrow,” he adds. For dinner, Moore would be tempted to ask his favorite chef, April Bloomfield, to reimagine one of Mrs. Bloomingdale’s dinner menus. “I would love to see what April would do with Mrs. Bloomingdale’s famous peanut butter and bacon hors d’oeuvres,” he laughs.

Décor for an Aegean Alfresco Reception

Summer Breeze
Mykonos, Greece

Perched on a hill above the famous southern beach of Agrari on the Greek island of Mykonos, this elegant yet rustic villa exudes luxury and warmth and is only a short 300-meter stroll from the white sands and crystal-clear waters for which Agrari is well known. Completed in 2001 and renovated in 2014, the property has three main structures stunning terraces that surround the house, with the main terrace affording a vantage of the Aegean as seen beyond a dramatic infinity pool. 

“I would host a cocktail party on the terrace, furnished with the suite of William Haines bronze patinated furniture.”

Michael Moore envisions Summer Breeze as the perfect setting for an end-of-summer / early autumn party for the art crowd, after London’s Frieze and the Venice Biennale art fairs. “I’d host a cocktail party on the terrace, furnished with the suite of William Haines bronze patinated furniture [Lots 121122 pictured below, and Lots 129, 130, 131 and 132], as well as the pair of gorgeous chaise longues [Lot 126] spread throughout.”