Heart of Glass

L.B. Jeffries, the invalid voyeur played by Jimmy Stewart in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, would have been in his glory at the Gana Art Gallery last night. At a V.I.P. reception, photographer In Sook Kim unveiled her "Saturday Night," a startling image taken of the flank of a Dusseldorf hotel. At first glimspe, the technicolor vignette appears to be nothing more than a distant glimpse of the occupants of various brightly lit rooms. Upon closer inspection, however, a series of sexy shenanigans unfolds, the likes of which would make a casual passerby blush, but also wish for a pair of binoculars. The astonishingly intimate photo took two years to produce, as Kim first shot the building and then painstakingly lit and staged the scenes in each room, capturing the windows one at a time and then assembling the blocks like puzzle pieces. For a tamer view of Kim's work, see her story in today's New York Times magazine, "New Glass City."

And for more photos of last night's reception (including a second image, featuring a nude model up for auction), click here.

Fare Thee Well, New York Post?

If Vanity Fair journalist and author Michael Wolff (The Man Who Owns The News) is correct, the New York Post may not be long for this world. At least, not as a Rupert Murdoch publication. Addressing the New York Press Club last night, Wolff predicted that once Murdoch buys the New York Times! (which, says Wolff, is all-but inevitable as the Gray Lady teeters on the edge of financial ruin), the Australian newspaperman will lose interest in the Post, which bleeds his News Corp of millions of dollars every year. Murdoch's shedding of the paper famed for headlines such as "Topless Woman in Headless Bar" may well prove to be the paper's death knell, forecasts Wolff, who believes, if anything, the tabloid will be folded into the Daily News. As for the city's paper of record, Wolff called the Times slushy and in need of an owner who can re-energize it. He believes that a Murdoch buyout of the NYT would save the periodical from its current state of wayward irrelevance. Wow. Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times in the hands of one man? Unimaginable. But, in Wolff's belief, unavoidable and not such a bad thing. Stay tuned.

Digging Up a (Very) Old Menu

This evening, members and guests of the National Arts Club, the historic organization based in the townhouse once owned by New York governor Samuel J. Tilden, were treated to a dinner reminiscent of a similar one given in the same room 100 years ago. A quick scan of the history books will confirm that the year 1908 was not especially noteworthy, but one of the highlights for New Yorkers in the know a century ago was surely the soirée given to honor Spencer Trask, on January 22, 1908. A former president of the National Arts Club, Trask was also a noted philanthropist whose generosity helped fund the New York Public Library and to underwrite the work of Thomas Alva Edison. He is also credited with providing the financial assistance that enabled Adolph S. Ochs to reorganize the flagging New York Times. Flash forward to the present, the roomful of twenty-first century patrons started the evening with Bronx Cocktails and Manhattans (both created from recipes circa 1908) before tucking into baked trout duxelles and pan-roasted jumbo squab, again prepared from vintage menu descriptions. For now, the theme of next year's dinner remains unannounced, but our money's on it having something to do with 1909. Wager, anyone? %%showphotos [setid=72157603905648223]%%