Art Basel Miami Beach: Raphael Mazzuco’s Culo Book Launch With Diddy, Andy Valmorbida, Jimmy Iovine

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Art Basel Miami Beach: Raphael Mazzuco’s Culo Book Launch With Diddy, Andy Valmorbida, Jimmy Iovine

Last night, Andy Valmorbida, Jimmy Iovine, Sean “Diddy” Combs, in collaboration with VistaJet, celebrated Culo by Mazzucco. An all-star crowd from the worlds of art, fashion, music and sports, commemorated the launch with a dinner at Mr. Chow’s at the W South Beach.

The evening brought the career of artist Raphael Mazzucco full circle, as he reunited with art dealer Andy Valmorbida to celebrate the launch of his book with a presentation of large scale works during Art Basel Miami Beach. Raphael Mazzucco was the first artist ever exhibited by Andy Valmorbida, just as Valmorbida was the first gallerist to give a show to Raphael Mazzucco.

Music impresario Sean “Diddy” Combs has collaborated with Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman Jimmy Iovine and fashion photographer and visual artist Raphael Mazzucco to become the vanguards of an art movement featuring the female backside. With a confident eye for the element of sexuality, Diddy, who served as executive editor, is subtly pushing society’s standards of beauty towards a more genuine, realistic and bold shape. “Raphael is a true artist,” says Diddy. “He relies on instinct- capturing a raw, natural sense of beauty through his lens in CULO by Mazzuccothat celebrates the female form. His work is passionate and powerful.”

Revered for his ability to capture diverse beauty and bring it to the forefront of mainstream popular culture, photographer Mazzucco was commissioned to travel the world, shooting stunning, sought after women. The result is a 248-page portfolio of phenomenal color photographs and art pieces tastefully assembled, to be displayed on every coffee table, providing a guaranteed topic of conversation. “I wrestled for weeks with ideas about how to tackle this concept,” says Mazzucco. “I have relished every brush stroke, every hypnotic flash in which I reach deep down into my gut and pull out a glimpse of the world as only I see it.”

Mazzucco selected a portion of photographs from the book and merged them with the sensuality and spontaneity of paint, enhancing the visually compelling images through fine art. These large pieces, ranging in size from 6’ – 8’, are created through a unique photo shadow box layering process coupled with paint, resin and objects, resulting in a true innovative artistic installations.

Notable guests included Andy Valmorbida, VistaJet Founder and Chairman Thomas Flohr, Raphael Mazzucco, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Will Smith, Damien Hirst, Russell Simmons, Chris Bosh, Roberto Cavalli, Naomi Campbell, Adrien Brody, Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, Robin Thicke, Brett Ratner, Lance Bass, Nicky Hilton, Paris Hilton, Lisa Anastos, RETNA, Eva Chow, Ronald W. Burkle, China Chow, Waris Ahluwalia, Allison Sarofim, Mr. Brainwash, Hannah Bronfman, Lady Liliana Cavendish, Renzo Rosso, Carter Cleveland, Eleanor Cayre, Karim El Chiaty, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, Kim Heirston, Richard Evans, Noor Fares, Stellan Holm, Jane Holzer, Nellee Hooper, Johan Lindeberg, Lorenzo Martone, Alex Marshall, Joel Mesler, Shamim Momin, Lea Muses, Jared Najjar, Joe Nahmad, Stavros Niarchos Jr., Anne Pasternak, Jean Pigozzi, Lauren Remington Platt, Alexandra Richards, Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, Keith & Inga Rubenstein, Bob & Eva Shaye, George Simon, Aurel Schmidt, Pat Tenore, Larry Warsh and Aaron Young.