Last night on November 15, 2011, I attended Julia Reyes Taubman private celebration at the Whitney Musuem in honor of  the publication of her book Detroit:  138 Square Miles with forward by Elmore Leonard.

Hosts included Julia Reyes Taubman, Robert S. Taubman, Elmore Leonard, Arthur Altschul, Jr., Dennis Freedman, John and Susan Hess, Dan and Brooke Neidich, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, Allison Sarofim and Stuart Parr.

For six years, documentary photographer and architectural historian, Julia Reyes Taubman, focused her artistic lens on the city of Detroit, a 138-square-mile metropolis in transition.  Utilizing different physical mediums such as land, air and water, Taubman chronicles the changing landscape as manipulated by nature and time believing it to be more visually compelling than almost any architectural intervention.  She pays particular attention to the scale and the solidity of the buildings that characterized the former “Motor City” at the height of its industrial wealth and power. All of her hard work and vision has come together in a fantastic new book that is a just in time for the holidays.

Guests who also attended include Ginevra Caltagirone, James de Givenchy, Ron Delsener, Lisa Dennison, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Thelma Golden, Rachel Hovnanian, Klaus Kertess, Ben Lambert, Edward Lampert, David Mortimer, Alex Mustonen, Dennis Paul Jr., Lee Quinones, Charles Renfro, Clifford Ross, Wilbur Ross, Bill Rudin, Izak Senbahar, Bob Shaye, Alexander H. Tisch, Jonathan Tisch, John Varvatos, Shelley Wanger, Paula Zahn, Rafael Vinoly, Diana Vinoly, Mike Starn, Doug Starn, Gary Panter, Anh Duong, Lela Rose, Jay Snyder, Nicole Miller, Serena Altschul, Priscilla Rattazzi, Coralie Charriol Paul

. After the opening, family and close friends continued the celebration at The Mark hotel with a casual, impromptu dinner.

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