The Opening for "Tim Burton" at the Museum of Modern Art

Marina Abramovic Klaus Biesenbach on the Abramovic–Ulay Reunion Present and Past Going Home with Marina Abramovic Marina Abramovic and Laurie Anderson: Wise Women When Marina Abramovic Dies Also This Month In New York: Opening this Weekend

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Guests at the fete, which stretched late into the night, seemed to largely agree on the proper sartorial possibilities for such an event and arrived besuited predominantly in black, red, and silver. MoMA president Marie-Josée Kravis added a touch of sophisticated glamour to the goth color palette, with a black dress adorned with intricate lace flourishes.

P.S.1 director Klaus Biesenbach took a characteristically sleek, minimal approach to the evening’s unspoken uniform with a black tie, black shirt, and black suit, which musician Patti Smith echoed in a large black jacket and wide-brimmed hat. P.S.1’s chairman, Agnes Gund, meanwhile, took a bolder approach, sporting a blood-red dress, which bravely stood out against the dark, VIP sea.

Not everyone was following the evening’s rules, though. Emerging actress Gabourey Sidibe wore a shimmering purple dress, while performance artist Marina Abramović went with a white top and black bottom. For now, Burton is the museum’s star. But Abramović fashion gambit served as a reminder that her moment, too, will come when the museum opens a show devoted to her work in March 2010.

Click the photo gallery at left to see more of the opening of “Tim Burton” at MoMA.