Free Cocktails and Appetizers

So, this post is the reason you read this blog. Today, you finally get your money’s worth. (I wish…) That’s right, brother (or sister – I don’t discriminate, man). I’m gonna let you in on a little secret – just between us, girls. You ready? OK, pay attention now. What would you do if you knew where to buy Van Gogh’s art (or Mary Cassat’s – whoever rocks your boat) for a very good price? You’d buy the damn art, that’s what you’d do.

OK, now that we’ve established that you’re a smart investor, let’s play a little game. Let’s pretend that it’s 1888. You meet a weirdo in a café. He’s ill at ease, keeps sipping his water and rubbing his rumbling stomach. There are two possible scenarios.

Scenario one. You feel sorry for the poor loser and buy him a croque-monsieur. The bastard is so thankful for the kind gesture, he talks your ear off with tales of the underground art scene. You want to go home and crash, but again feel pity and accept his invitation to check out his paintings. Once you see his work, though, you realize he ain’t half bad and offer to buy some of his stuff, thus feeding him for a week or so. You part with a crumpled bill as he parts with a depiction of a vineyard. You choose it because it is the most colorful piece, one that reminds you of … well, knocking one back, etc.

Scenario two. You feel sorry for the sad loser and pat him on the shoulder as you walk past him to leave the café and go home to your soft bed. Two years later, Anna Boch becomes the first person to recognize Van Gogh’s genius by buying The Red Vineyard for 400 francs. The dude dies, his art is widely praised, and you feel stupid. Yada, yada, yada. Well, don’t be a dolt. Here’s what you do.

Go to your Yahoo! (or Google, if you've evolved) calendar. Then, create an appointment for 5 p.m. on August 20th for your date with Van Gogh in Gallery Z. Only, in this third scenario, Van Gogh is actually Mary Cassat, and Mary Cassat is actually a Polish artist named Ewa Romaszewicz. (Full disclosure – Ewa’s a close friend and her art kicks ass). Anyhow, her show ‘Real & Imagined Landscapes’ runs between August 4th and August 29th, in case you’ll be stuck in jail and unable to make it on the 20th, the date of the reception. The ad for the evening says that she uses “soft lighting and muted tones to represent emotional scenes in nature”. I say, just get your ass in there and prepare for a kick. You don’t want to miss your chance now, do you? Oh, and I’ll be there – so that’s another great reason to attend. Or not.

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