The weather in New York City this past weekend was mostly beautiful- the first such weekend in over a month- and us city dwellers flooded the parks for people-watching, picnics, and to tan our Vitamin D-deficient bodies.  While designer sunglasses and flip-flops were being flaunted a-plenty, their owners shamelessly laid upon stained sheets and amusement park water ride towels of their youth.

If the recession isn’t impacting your beachware budget and you can’t fathom a day without fine art in your life, perhaps this Alex Katz-designed, limited edition beach towel should be your next purchase.  Offered by Other Criteria, a company co-founded by Damien Hirst, this oversized towel is 100% cotton and ships from London.  Other artists who’ve taken the dip include Elizabeth Peyton, Kehinde Wiley and Jeff Koons.  Better act fast though, the Ed Ruscha and Julian Schnabel editions have already sold out.

Perhaps the best idea for a fundraising event ever (after date auctions!), the Santa Monica Museum of Art sells tickets to donors for $300 that allow them to select from over 650 original 8”x10” pieces of art donated by a variety of artists.  Part of the excitement comes from the fact that the artists’ names aren’t displayed when donors select their artworks, only after they choose…which means that some people with a good eye and a little bit of luck can score pieces by the likes of Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, and Gary Baseman.  Check out an article from the Los Angeles Times here.

Just to give some monetary perspective, another contributor to this charity event was artist Raymond Pettibon.  Pictured above is his small 1998 Untitled (Noticing the wave…) that hits the auction block this month at Phillips de Pury & Company with an estimate of $10,000-$15,000.

Regardless, what an awesome event for a good cause– I don’t know of an NYC institution that does anything like this on a similar scale.  Let me know if you do!