MOSCOW/NEW YORK—On September 17, Gagosian Gallery debuted its second major exhibition in Moscow at the historic Red October Chocolate Factory. "For what you are about to receive," as the show is titled, explores how contemporary artists deal with the readymade and abstraction in their art, "reflecting on the sublime through a self-conscious engagement with material and process," in the gallery's words. The opening was the latest in a series of art events putting Moscow on the art-world map, including the kickoff of the Ilya and Emilia Kabakov retrospective at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and organizer Daria Zhukova's new Garage Center for Contemporary Culture. The crowd was glamorous, and the guest list included actress Leelee Sobieski, Barbara Bush (the younger), artist Takashi Murakami, photographer Todd Eberle, and auctioneer Simon de Pury.

And in New York the night before, the Museum of Modern Art opened "Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night." Running through the January 5, 2009, the show takes a look at van Gogh's examination of night with 24 of his paintings, 10 drawings, and a selection of letters and books. Among the attendees were MoMA's chief curator emeritus John Elderfield, director Glenn Lowry, architect Richard Meier, honorary MoMA chairman David Rockefeller, and countless others.

We've caught up with two earlier openings, too: Tadanori Yokoo's solo show at Friedman Benda and Alessandra Sanguinetti's "The Life that Came" at Yossi Milo Gallery, both on view through October 18.

Click on the photo gallery to the left to see the party pictures.