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Fendi’s Fifth Avenue boutique served as a virtual melting pot of the arts last night, hosting a launch party for a book about artist John Baldessari and a piano performance by rock-and-jazz fusionist Eric Lewis.

No mere coffee-table volume, Sharon Coplan Hurowitz’s The Prints of John Baldessari: A Catalogue Raisonne 1971-2007 is a definitive treatment, ten years in the making, of one of the last century’s most influential artists. “Making photographs part of art-making, John made that commonplace,” Hurowitz explained. “Now we take it for granted.” The L.A.-based Baldessari did a major collaboration with Mario Sorrenti two years ago, and a retrospective currently up at London’s Tate Modern is recognizing his lifetime contribution to the dialogue between creative forms.

On a similar note, so to speak, Lewis banged out “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and other rock tunes during the party for an audience that included Brooke Shields, Prince Pavlos of Greece, and Linda Fargo—on a piano wrapped in pages from Hurowitz’s book. It wasn’t his first time playing for the fashion crowd: Donna Karan had him perform on the runway in February. “She likes my way of approaching the music,” Lewis (who has also played the Obama White House) said. “I stand, I have poses. I’m known for the faces I make.” No wonder he feels at home on the catwalk.

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