Inside Anna Weyant’s Dollhouse in New York
The celebrated New York artist has transformed the historic Academy Mansion in the Upper East Side into a surreal, dreamlike dollhouse during New York Fashion Week
It’s not easy to make a splash during New York fashion week, when the whole city is taken over by a buzzy energy and a slew of exciting art, design, and fashion presentations and openings. But a highlight of the week was Anna Weyant’s “Dollhouse,” a spectacular collaborative art installation by the acclaimed artist in partnership with the Cultivist member’s club and Capital One. For three days only, between September 10-12, the historic Academy Mansion on 63rd Street in the Upper East Side was transformed into a fully immersive, surrealist dollhouse.
A key element of the installation is a special contribution from acclaimed designer Marc Jacobs, a friend of Weyant and collector of her work, who has incorporated reimagined designs from his archive and created whimsical, oversized staff uniforms that echo the distorted scale and floral motifs of the surreal set.
Guests are invited to explore the Dollhouse across two floors, where each room is a distinct, immersive environment. The journey begins in the Grand Entrance, leading into the Grand Hall, which features oversized musical instruments, setting the playful tone for what’s to come. The courtyard garden is an vibrant floral landscape with handmade satin and silk roses and paper daisies filling the garden bends and vibrant green fabric vines framing the walls. The Confectioner’s Kitchen is a whimsical space where chefs craft miniature marzipan and sugar sculptures surrounded by a giant tiered cake.
The Salon offers a Victorian-inspired parlor to pause and contemplate Weyant’s new bouquet paintings. A series of VIP events unfolded in the Dining Room, where a deliberate mix of miniature and oversized utensils and food items creates a surreal, dollhouse-like effect.
Upstairs, guests can explore the Bedroom, where a giant, oversized bed and two-headed teddy packs a punch in the middle of the room, as well as the Wardrobe complete with paper clothing hanging on the racks. Adding to the activation was daily beauty masterclasses in the afternoons by celebrity stylists Mei Kawajiri and Dimitris Giannetos, inspired by the Marc Jacobs contribution.
The true heart of the show is the central, sculptural piece that gives the exhibition its name: a meticulously crafted dollhouse. Placed at the center of the room, the structure is a physical embodiment of the psychological spaces in Weyant’s paintings. It’s a cabinet of curiosities where the mundane becomes unsettling, and the ordinary is imbued with a sense of quiet drama.
Guests in attendance at the opening night included Capital One cardholders as well as guests Anna Weyant, Marc Jacobs, Suki Waterhouse, Larry Gagosian, Mischa Barton, Derek Blasberg, Emma Cline, Will Cotton, Julie Curtiss, Yvonne Force Villareal, Fab 5 Freddy, Chase Hall, Loie Hollowell, Eileen Kelly, Tyler Mitchell, Chloe Wise, and more.
Part of a series of exciting art collaborations, the Cultivist and Capital One will next present an installation by another acclaimed artist at Art Basel Miami in December. It follows exciting partnership with Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj for a two-part cultural experience: the debut of DAR MIAMI 1446 at Art Week 2024—a Moroccan-inspired installation with dining by chef Rose Previte followed by an exclusive cardholder trip to Marrakech featuring private studio visits and curated access to the city’s creative scene.