How to Throw a Party Like a Famous Artist

With New Year’s Eve festivities approaching, you might be wanting to go a little farther than noise makers and confetti. In that case, we’ve got some arty party ideas. Don’t panic! Whether it’s a little get together at your place or something fancy somewhere huge, you can always just shamelessly replicate one of Dalí’s storied shin-dings or take creative influence from a particularly jubilant Aubrey Beardsley rendering. Here’s a little brainstorm of famous artist parties to get you started.

Salvador Dalí’s Surrealist Soiree

Salvador Dalí threw this Night in a Surrealist Forest party at the Bali Room of the Hotel Del Monte in Monterey, California as a fundraiser for European artists displaced by the war. There he is, flanked by giant “flaps” in the image of his face, serving Mrs. Dalí who is wearing a unicorn’s head and feeding a baby lion with a bottle, while Bob Hope is perplexed because something odd is happening with a woman’s shoe. OK. Deep breaths… Load up on papier-mâché for props, hold the live animals and just go crazy!

Difficulty: 4 to 10, depending on the complexity of said props.