About 20 years ago, Gianni Versace bought the iconic Amsterdam Palace and next-door Revere Hotel for his own selfish desires. The famed fashion designer kicked out the elderly residents and got approval from the city to build himself a gigantic private pool in their place. Five years later, he was murdered on the front steps of his lavish home.
After a series of failed business ventures and ownerships, Versace's former home will go up for bankruptcy auction. If you have $3 million to put down as a deposit, you can have a chance at bidding for the property. Otherwise, away it goes, to who knows what new owner.
They can sell the property, but they can't take our memories. Especially since Miami artist Kevin Arrow has compiled them into a short film about the property.
Who occupied the real estate before Versace took over? It's a story that intrigued Arrow so much so that he made a short Super 8 film about it. It's called Gianni Versace, and it's set to the music of one of Miami's noisiest and profane musical creations, Harry Pussy. The infamous group existed in the exact five years it took Versace to destroy the former buildings along Ocean Drive, rebuild them into the Versace Mansion, and then die.
The film Gianni Versace plays with the juxtaposition of these two wholly Miamian occurrences, capturing the disparate spirit of the country's favorite tropical playground. Arrow will be showing the film, accompanied by live music from local band Holly Hunt on Friday, July 19, at the Bass Museum Terrace (2100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach) for a special edition of fridays@thebass.
The show kicks off at 7 p.m., and tickets cost $10 for non-members. Call 305-673-7530 or visit bassmuseum.org.
Follow Cultist on Facebook and Twitter @CultistMiami.
