The art world is a delicate ecosystem, filled with different breeds of people that descend on the watering hole of the gallery-goer jungle—art gallery openings. Hit up Chelsea on a Thursday night, and you will spot different breeds of gallery visitors. From stuck up Gallerinas to rich collectors to creepy dudes looking for a date, art gallery openings are filled with eccentric characters. Familiarize yourself with the art world with our list of 15 Types of People You Meet At an Art Gallery Opening and then venture out into the galleries to observe them in their natural habitat.
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Awkward Rappers
15. Awkward Rappers
When Jay Z rapped "Picasso Baby" at Pace Gallery for six hours, everyone was like "Hip-hop in a gallery?! Jay is totally breaking boundaries and redefining genres, and the art world as we know it will never be the same!" Then he danced with Marina Abramovic, and people realized, "Ok, so now Jay Z is a performance artist, and rap can be a form of high art, and Marina still has crazy eyes." Now that the art/rap crossover is recorded on Vine etched in stone, we expect to see more rappers engaging with the art world. (Let's not forget Swizz Beatz's love affair with Basquiat or Kanye's performance at Art Basel). That doesn't mean that rappers look as smooth in a gallery as they do on stage. As Twitter pointed out, Jay Z looked more than a little awkward among a bunch of rich white people.
And the award for most awkward hip hop audience of all time goes to... http://t.co/e3WjRmoCL9 (Jay Z + gallery + white people)
— Sam Slover (@sloversam) July 20, 2013