Exciting changes are happening in New York City with the former French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), the U.S.’s foremost independent non-profit organization dedicated to bringing New Yorkers the most engaging and immersive French language classes and world-class cultural programming.
In March 2022, FIAF appointed Tatyana Franck as its youngest president. She plans to build on the impressive 16-year legacy of former president Marie-Monique Steckel, now Emeritus.
THE TROPHÉE DES ARTS GALA—L’ALLIANCE NEW YORK’S LARGEST ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
The annual Trophée des Arts Gala is one of the organization’s most significant fundraising events. The Trophée des Arts Award, created in 1992, recognizes honorees’ contributions to L’Alliance New York’s mission of French-American friendship and cross-cultural exchange in the arts, education, business, and philanthropy.
This year, the honorees included actress and former dancer Sofia Boutella, who received the 2024 Trophée des Arts Award, and Christine and Stephen Schwarzman, who were presented with the 2024 Pilier d’Or Award.
Held at the grand Plaza Hotel, the gala attracted over 550 guests and raised a record-breaking $2.4 million through donations and auction sales. The event fostered a vibrant atmosphere where everyone in the French-heavy crowd seemed to know one another, uniting the Francophone and American communities from across the ocean.
TATYANA FRANCK
One of Tatyana Franck‘s initial ideas was to rebrand and change the name from FIAF to L’Alliance New York this past June. The name, which means unity and connection in French and English, aims to attract a broader audience across French-speaking communities from around the world, fostering even more cultural cooperation.
Franck earned a double degree in art history and law from Paris’s Sorbonne University. She later obtained an executive MBA (EMBA-Global Asia) from Columbia Business School, London Business School, and the University of Hong Kong. She is the daughter of Eric Franck, a prominent figure in fine art photography, and the niece of renowned photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck, a Magnum Photos member.
From 2006 to 2015, Franck directed the Claude Picasso archives in Paris and Geneva. In 2015, she was appointed Director of Switzerland’s Lausanne Museum of Photography (Musée de l’Elysée). During her tenure, she oversaw the construction of a new building to house the museum’s collections at the Lausanne Plateforme 10 arts district.
COCKTAIL HOUR
During cocktail hour, the Plaza was filled with beautiful people of all ages. I’ve never heard so much French spoken in one room! This event is so revered that it draws celebrities, dignitaries, and French-speaking citizens worldwide, including actors, artists, and leaders of lauded cultural institutions such as the Château de Versailles and the Centre Pompidou.
GUESTS
It was clear this event was one the French community didn’t want to miss, providing an opportunity to connect with people from diverse French-speaking backgrounds.
DINNER IN THE GRAND BALLROOM
After the guests enjoyed catching up during cocktail hour, they moved to the elegant Plaza ballroom for dinner. The room was beautifully lit, and a long table for the VIPs and guests of honor was positioned in the center—a lovely idea.
DINNER BY TWO 3-STAR CHEFS
One of Franck’s innovations has been showcasing French chefs and cuisine. Two legendary three-star chefs, Georges Blanc and Dominique Crenn, prepared an authentic multi-course French culinary experience.
GEORGES BLANC
Georges Blanc is highly regarded for his esteemed restaurant, Hotel Restaurant Georges Blanc, located in the village of Vonnas, approximately 50 miles from Lyon. The family restaurant is recognized as the oldest Michelin-starred establishment in the world, having earned its first star in 1929, and continues its nearly 90 years of remarkable culinary tradition.
In addition to his three Michelin stars, Blanc has received numerous accolades, including four toques from the Gault et Millau restaurant guide. He achieved his third Michelin star in 1981, and in 1985 received an impressive score of 19.5 out of 20 from Gault et Millau, the first chef to do so.
Beyond his restaurant, Blanc has built a family-run empire that has transformed Vonnas into a “village gourmand.” The village features shops, dining options, and a Relais & Châteaux hotel while preserving its historic charm.
CHEF DOMINQUE CRENN
Chef Dominique Crenn collaborated with Blanc on the evening’s menu. Her many credentials include being named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of 2024” for her food philosophy.
Crenn is the first female chef in the U.S. to earn three Michelin stars for her San Francisco restaurant, Atelier Crenn, on Fillmore Street in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. She is also the first U.S. chef to receive a Michelin Green Star (which highlights a restaurant’s sustainable practices).
As I’ve been bi-coastal for years, I’ve been fortunate to enjoy her cuisine in San Francisco on several occasions.
A few years ago, Crenn returned to Paris and opened Golden Poppy, bringing contemporary California cuisine to Parisian diners. It’s located in the 9th arrondissement in the Faubourg Montmartre district in the La Fantaisie boutique hotel.
THE MENU
Three Michelin-star chefs, Georges Blanc and Dominique Crenn, collaborated on a French menu showcasing their specialty dishes.
WELCOME BY PRESIDENT TATYANA FRANCK
During dinner, L’Alliance New York President Tatyana Franck welcomed the crowd and explained, “The 2024 Trophée des Arts will be our most iconic and first as L’Alliance New York! This year, we made considerable strides in raising awareness of Francophone arts and education.
“Champions, co-chairs, trustees, and supporters, your generosity and continued support are essential for us to empower more artists, educate more children, teach French to more people, and continue to provide artistic programming at an unmatched level of excellence.”
TROPHÉE DES ARTS: ACTRESS SOFIA BOUTELLA
This year, the Trophée des Arts award was presented to Sofia Boutella, an actress and former dancer based in Los Angeles. Boutella is a French-Algerian artist who moved to France at age 10 to escape the Algerian civil war.
She began her career working with prominent artists like Madonna and Rihanna before transitioning to film. Among Boutella’s film credits are her first role in 2015, Kingsman: The Secret Service, opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Firth, 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, 2017’s Atomic Blonde with Charlize Theron, and 2017’s The Mummy opposite Tom Cruise. In 2018, she appeared in Gaspar Noé’s Climax, the HBO drama Fahrenheit 451, the crime thriller Hotel Artemis—and so on!
PILIER D’OR: CHRISTINE & STEPHEN SCHWARZMAN
Established in 2006, the Pilier d’Or award (pilier means pillar in English) honors a prominent business leader, diplomat, or philanthropist for their exceptional contributions to the French-American community. This year’s recipients are Christine and Stephen Schwarzman, philanthropists who have made significant charitable donations globally.
In France, the Schwarzmans have contributed funds for renovations at the Château de Chambord and have supported prestigious institutions such as the Louvre, Versailles, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Notably, they funded the rehabilitation of the fashion exhibition space at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, now named Galeries Christine et Stephen A. Schwarzman.
Christine is an intellectual property attorney and Broadway producer who founded the artist-driven theatrical production company No Guarantees in 2017, which since 2017 has produced or invested in over 35 shows and has won six Tony Awards.
Stephen Schwarzman is chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment firms. Despite his busy schedule, he dedicates time to making significant philanthropic gifts worldwide: $100 million to the New York Public Library; £185 million to the University of Oxford—the largest donation since the Renaissance; a foundational $350 million gift to establish programs at MIT and Yale; and the creation of the “Schwarzman Scholars” program at Beijing Tsinghua University; among others.
The couple has a longstanding connection to France, having owned a home in St. Tropez for many years. When they married, Christine expressed a desire to live in Paris, a dream Stephen fulfilled. In his speech, Stephen mentioned that they lived in Paris for eight months, during which time he worked from offices in London and Paris, and the couple became acquainted with “Le Tout Paris.”
THE AUCTION
Charity auctions are ubiquitous in New York City, and while they can sometimes dampen the party’s mood, this one was different. Led by the energetic auctioneer Simon de Pury—nicknamed the “Mick Jagger of Auction”—the event maintained its excitement throughout the night.
L’Alliance cleverly auctioned only five items, but each was unique, such as a commissioned portrait by artist Andres Serrano, a bespoke ring by JAR, a private tour of the Petrus Wine Estate in Bordeaux and a magnum of Petrus 2009, a one-week stay on the island of Mustique, and the chance to send their own treasure to space during the launch of a Space Cargo at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Whoever selected these items truly thought outside the box, making for a memorable auction experience.
CLUBBING AT PARIS SILENCIO’S NEW YORK OUTPOST
After a delightful and elegant French dinner, guests were invited to the newly opened Silencio New York, the local branch of Paris’s renowned Le Silencio club and its fourth location worldwide. This exclusive private club on rue Montmartre is known for its selective entry policy.
The nightclub was co-founded in 2011 by Arnaud Frisch and the recently departed surrealist filmmaker David Lynch. Interestingly, Silencio’s name is derived from the fictional nightclub in the Lynch film Mulholland Drive. Over the years, Silencio Paris has evolved into a vibrant mix of a nightclub, creative space, and gathering spot for artists to collaborate.
Silencio New York is located on Billionaire’s Row, along 57th Street near 8th Avenue. The nightclub boasts stylish and sensual décor designed by the renowned Harry Nuriev of Crosby Studios. It can accommodate up to 300 people and features a DJ stand, a bar, and plenty of dance space, including private areas. The venue aims to serve as a cultural and artistic hub that reflects the city’s vibrant nightlife.
It’s an excellent addition to Midtown, offering a convenient option for those looking for vibrant nightlife without traveling downtown.
FUTURE EVENTS
Exciting new programs will launch at L’Alliance this year, promising a vibrant lineup of events catering to various interests. One such event is an extraordinary exhibition honoring the 100th anniversary of The New Yorker magazine, “Covering The New Yorker,” which opened to the public on January 21 and will be on view through March 30. The landmark exhibition highlights more than 100 original artworks and covers curated by the magazine’s esteemed Art Editor, Françoise Mouly, and co-curated by Rodolphe Lachat. This spring, L’Alliance will also introduce the inaugural Comic Arts Fest, a celebration dedicated to the vibrant world of comics and graphic novels, March 28-30.
In February, L’Alliance New York will host a series of staged readings, including an evening featuring actress Isabelle Huppert reading select works of the renowned French author Guy de Maupassant. Finally, save the date for July 13, when L’Alliance New York will host its annual Bastille Day festival, which celebrates the French national holiday on July 14. The largest of its kind in the U.S., the festival attracted over 30,000 people in 2024. Attendees can enjoy delicious food, lively music, and various cultural activities celebrating France’s rich heritage.
For more events, visit the website lallianceny.org, which provides further details on what’s happening throughout the year at L’Alliance New York.
