On Monday, November 8th, Judith Pisar received the Anne Morgan Women of Courage Award to celebrate her achievement building cultural bridges between the United States and France and George Sape was bestowed the Chateau de Blérancourt Award for his unconditional support of the museum’s creation and expansion.
This was the highlight of the American Friends of Blérancourt (AFB) annual gala held at a private club where Franck Laverdin, Chairman of the Board, and in absence Countess Dorothea de La Houssaye, President, received a crowd of friends among them, Jérémie Robert, Consul General of France in New York, Gaëtan Bruel, Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy, Elizabeth Laluyaux, TRH Prince and Princess Dushan of Yugoslavia, David and Lisa Wolf, Raphael Mostel, Bénédicte de Montlaur and Keith Yazmir, Édouard Labouret, Marie-Laure de Bailliencourt, Olivier O’Mahony, Sophie Raubiet, HH Princess Caroline Murat and Antoine Turzi, Stephen Lash, Hunt Slonem, Mai Hallingby, Jean Shafiroff, Maïlys Vranken, Henry and Bernadette Watkins, Frédéric and Olga Rozé, Philippe and Carole Delouvrier, Eric Mourlot, Sonja Morgan, Olivier Miller-Cassegrain, Odile de Schietere-Longchampt, Alexandra Tierno Morris, Leah Pisar-Haas, Marie-Monique Steckel, Renee and Sumner Anderson, Danielle and Sean Barrett, James Gerard, Miles Morgan, Olivia Tournay Flatto, Carol-Ann Blinken, HRH Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, Jeri Sape and Simone Galton.
The proceeds of this successful evening will allow the purchase of an American symbolism masterpiece The Holy Woman (1900) by Anna Richards Brewster (1870-1952) for the Franco-American Museum, proving one more time that AFB’s support is constant over the years.
On the same night, The Art Students League of New York hosted its Annual Fundraising Gala at the Museum of Modern Art, celebrating the League’s continued resilience and growth during unprecedented times, and honoring its artists, alumni, and patrons. The League honored Carmen Herrera, the renowned Cuban painter and beloved League alumna whose remarkable career has served as an inspiration for countless other artists, and The Kamen Family, in recognition of their support of The League’s community outreach program Seeds of the League in memory of alumnus Jack Kamen.
Notable guests included artists and League alums Tony Bechara, Chakaia Booker, Frederick Brosan, Sherry Camhy, Sylvie Covey, Marshall Jones, Deborah Kass, Ronnie Landfield, Leonid Lerman, James Little, Mariana Oushiro, Guy Richards Smit, Sharon Sprung, and Costa Vavagiakis. Additional guests included: Mike and Jackie Bezos, Gonzalo Casals, Dan Desmond, Jake Dobkin, Eric and Deborah Edell, Jeannie Freilich, Stamatina Gregory, Charles van Horne, Dean Kamen, Libby Kamen & Dr. Ruth Kamen, Alex Logsdail, Steve Rosenthal, Robert Shaye, Sue Stoffel, and Jasmine Wahi. Major support provided by Leon and Toby Cooperman, Agnes Gund, Diane and Bruce Halle, and Ludmila S. Bidwell.
Hosted by Gala Chairs Robin Lechter Frank & Dr. Ronald Frank and the League’s Artistic and Executive Director Michael Hall, the evening began with a cocktail hour featuring music performed by students from The Julliard School, and live demonstrations by featured League artists bringing their talent and style of instruction in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media to life for guests.
Photographs by Patrick McMullan (Blérancourt); BFA (Art Students League).
