A 'Royal' ArtHamptons

If you’ve ever felt life in the Hamptons as portrayed by the USA series “Royal Pains” is just a tad out of reach, say your house is less than 10,000 square feet, or you actually go to the hospital instead of calling your own private concierge doctor to avoid publicity, consider going to ArtHamptons.

You might even run into series star Mark Feuerstein. For an upcoming episode, “Royal Pains” recreated tonight’s ArtHamptons opening party, including cameos by founder Rick Friedman and his constant companion, Cindy Lou Wakefield.

“It’s a quintessential Hamptons experience, but they re-enacted it in the former Rye Playland grounds," Friedman said. "They built a really, really beautiful set, featuring three of the galleries, and dressed at least 100 extras in interesting outfits. It was fantasy meets reality.”

The reality, Friedman says, features “$200 million worth of paintings on sale, 4,000 works of art, 77 galleries and more than 500 artists from around the world. There are 11 galleries from London alone,” he told us. “Maybe they’re confusing the two Southamptons.”

The ArtHamptons honcho said he found Feuerstein as accessible and down to earth as his character.

“We spent a lot of time together, talking and kidding,” Friedman continued. “When we were finished shooting, he wanted to know how it compared to the real ArtHamptons. His parents live in East Hampton, so he knows the Hamptons really well. He accepted my invitation to come to the Mark Borghi gallery in Bridgehampton, which is our real front booth, to do an interview with Plum TV."

The TV version of ArtHamptons' opening airs Wednesday, Aug. 17.

The real ArtHamptons preview party is tonight, from 6 t0 9 , on the show’s grounds: Sayre Park, 154 Snake Hollow Rd., Bridgehampton. The $100 ticket for will benefit the Longhouse Reserve.

Regular show hours ($20 ticket) are as follows:
Friday, July 8, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Benefiting Guild Hall
Saturday, July 9, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Benefiting Bridgehampton Historical Society
Sunday, July 10, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. | Benefiting the Parrish Art Museum

Above, Mark Feuerstein, left, and Rick Friedman, founder of ArtHamptons, at Mark Borghi Gallery in Bridgehampton. (June 23, 2011)