It may not be the popular stance, but I love Jeanne Beker and her diva divineness. She may be the closest this country comes to an André Leon Talley. So I was happy to hear that she's taking over hosting duties for tonight's Sobey Art Award, which sadly are in Montreal at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal this year. No offense to former host, Seamus O'Regan, but his polite, well-tailored suits are no match for Beks.
In a press release Beker states: "Visual art has always been at the heart of what we do at FashionTelevision—it's been the wind beneath our wings, inspiring us all, and the world of high fashion at large...At a time in our country when there's such a dire need to get behind our artists, these prestigious awards help support and celebrate one of Canada's most precious commodities."
Wind beneath our wings. Yes! Our designer label silk wings, perhaps. Beker will present an award to one of these artists: for the West Coast & Yukon, Brendan Lee Satish Tang; for the Prairies & The North, Daniel Barrow; for Ontario, Brendan Fernandes; for Québec, Patrick Bernatchez; and for the Atlantic, Emily Vey Duke & Cooper Battersby.
This year is a really stellar group of shortlisters. If I was a betting lady, I'd put my gold coins on Vey Duke and Battersby for the win. Not just because they're representing, but they've been presenting fearlessly emotional but intellectual art for so long, they deserve it.
Work from all the shortlisted artists is still on display at the AGNS, and if you're not lucky enough to be in Montreal tonight, Bravo!'s The Arts & Minds is airing a Sobey Art Award special on December 18 at 7pm (encore presentation airs Sunday at 8pm).
