Bless the boilers of the Tribeca Grand Hotel! While last night's biting wind swirled outside, the hotel's lobby lounge provided a perfect, warm atmosphere for the debut of "Sold," artist Charles Lutz's latest series of paintings. Swaddled in hastily unpacked scarves and knit caps, 150 people crunched into the triangular bar to inspect the works and drink Svedka mixed, apparently, with Sunny Delight. Based on a theme of contemporary art at auction, the circular paintings show near-photographic vignettes of auctioneers, bidders, and for-sale artifacts. Dense networks of 23-karat gold branches spread over each image, adding an ominous dazzle to the compositions. The branches also worked their way onto the shirts of a few models that wandered the room. Part of Yoko Devereaux's current collection, the shirts are the most recent product of a five-year creative collaboration between Lutz and Devereaux's designer, Andy Salzer. "Charles initially did graphic design work for the company," said Salzer, "and every season we would think of new ways for him to add his ideas to the clothing. This time, though, I didn't give him any direction at all. I just let him do whatever he wanted, and I think the results are beautiful." Lutz's paintings, which start at about $9,000, can be viewed at www.charleslutz.com. For a cheaper option, check out the limited edition Yoko Devereaux shirts at www.supermarkethq.com.
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