THE SCOUT - Simply raw admiration

Art openings may be the best venues for playing the peacock. "You can indulge in fancy dress-up, and my motto is always anything goes," said performance artist Ann Magnuson, who wore a frothy Sue Wong confection last week to the opening of the exhibition of "Guts" at the Fahey/Klein Gallery. The show of 25 raw photographs by Tim Palen, co-president of marketing at Lionsgate, drew a vast crowd as eclectic as an aquarium. Movie stars including Sylvester Stallone mingled with makeup artists, alongside such independent producers as Andrew Panay and film financiers. Most men opted for blazers; women turned out in frocks. Gallery owner David Fahey, however, looked dangerous and natty in a black blazer and matching tie. "I'm trying to bring back the necktie. It's time," he said. The artist himself, dressed as casually as his demeanor, was more interested in dispelling the notion that a studio executive can't be creative too. "People are surprised I can work at a studio and take a picture," said Palen, whose photos are compiled in the coffee-table book "Guts" (at www.gutsbook.com). "They think I'm an anomaly."

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Monica Corcoran