Easter / Passover usually marks the end of “the Season” in Palm Beach, but it’s clear to everyone that the season has barely let up.
The big recent event was clearly the Peltz – Beckham wedding. It’s worth noting that the groom legally changed his name to include his bride’s. He is now known as Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and she as Nicola Anne Peltz Beckham. The bride is the daughter of Nelson Peltz and Claudia Heffner of Palm Beach. The groom is the son of English Footballer David Beckham and Victoria Adams, formerly known as “Posh Spice.” Styled by Leslie Fremar, the bride wore Valentino — with hair by Adir Abergel and makeup done by CHANEL artist Kate Lee. Guests included: Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Marc Anthony, Tommy Hilfiger and others. You can view the couple’s beautiful wedding photos by German Larkin on Vogue here.
The next big event was the Annual Gala at The Norton Museum. Pushed from January to April due to the pandemic, the event, chaired by Lori Gendelman, Lorna James and Anne Reyes, honored Judie and Howard Ganek and raised more than $2 million for the museum’s educational programs and exhibitions. The evening celebrated Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection. A work by contemporary American painter Will Cotton was auctioned live by Sotheby’s Christy Coombs, with the artist in attendance, and sold for $140,000 to Norton supporters Pam & Bob Goergen. Other artists in attendance were Jose Alvarez, Marc Dennis and Nick Hornby.
Guests included Bruce Gendelman, Ronnie Heyman, Candia Fisher, Jane Holzer, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Maynard Monrow, Audrey and Martin Gruss, Phylis & Bill Mack, Amy and John Phelan, Hilary and Wilbur Ross, Sue Hostetler and Beau Wrigley, Michelle and Joseph Jacobs, Barbara and Richard Rothchild, Lisa & James Cohen, Simone and David Levinson, Lois Frankel, Mayor Keith James, Nicki Harris, Rita and Charles Bronfman, Billy Gilbane, Kim Heirston, Sara and David Rothchild, Sarah Gavlak, Sue Jin Seth, Stacey Leuliette, Lauren Layne & George Merck, Lizzie Bickford, Michael Reinert, Devon McCready, Bettina Anderson, Nick Hissom, Kameron Ramirez, Whitney Schott and Tyler Tanabaum.
On another balmy and busy night, Pamala Wright and Sharon Bush hosted a dinner and auction for The Museum of Democracy — a bipartisan collection of historic political memorabilia — at the historic home of one of the island’s more gracious hosts, Kim Renk and Greg Dryer.
Annabella Rockwell, Camille Schumacher, Juju Bernstein and Kimberly Flanery modeled paper dresses designed by Nicole Miller and artist Camilla Webster donated a painting purchased by Steve Schott — all of which benefitted the museum.
Guests included: Amanda Schumacher, Ava Roosevelt, Leonard Lauren, Bob Murray, Ann Van Ness, Nicole Salmasi, Thorson and Melinda Schumacher, Ruth Miller, Nicola Salmasi, Lauren Day Roberts, Janna Bullock and Kevin Richard, Amy Klinges Harden and others.
Wait, there’s more … Cheri Kaufman, busy bee Sharon Bush, and Roxann Taylor hosted a cocktail reception and fashion show featuring Max Mara’s SS22 Collection at Roxann’s beautiful home in Palm Beach. The evening celebrated the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) and the announcement of their partnership with the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C.
The building was one of the last projects designed by Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe and recently underwent a $225 million renovation. It is located five blocks from the White House and two blocks from National Portrait Gallery. The National Women’s History Museum’s new physical home in Washington, D.C. is the first museum dedicated to women’s history located in the nation’s capital. NWHM’s mission is to celebrate the women who have helped transform our nation and to provide a complete view of American history. Its goal is to inspire and empower girls and women to see their potential, and for boys and men to respect that power.
Guests included: Eleanora Kennedy, Kim Renk & Greg Dryer, Carol & Earle Mack, Jeff Pfeifle, CeCe & Lee Black, Averell Fisk, Kellie Burke, Jacqui Mitchell, Anka Palitz, Karen Luter, Luce Churchill, Karen Klopp, Elizabeth Meigher, Pamela Morgan, Kamie Lightburn and others.
Speaking of American history, The Historical Society of Palm Beach County hosted no less than six events this season under the leadership of Jeremy Johnson — and their wonderful new director of development, Taylor Materio. The organization was founded in 1937 when a West Palm Beach attorney A. Stanley Bussey donated a vintage black & white photograph of an island street scene — the first gift of what would become a remarkable collection of artifacts and documents representing the cultures and communities, failures and successes of life in Palm beach County.
Today, its archives include more than four million photographic images, maps, newspapers, journals, periodicals, architectural drawings and research files that have been the basis of many columns penned by Palm Beach Historian Augustus Mayhew since 2007.
This season’s events have included included their Archival Evening at the Sailfish Club; Cocktails in Paradise at The Colony Hotel featuring the legendary designs of Suzie Zuzek for Palm Beach’s iconic Lilly Pulitzer; A Women’s History initiative; An Evening on Antique Row during which an entire block of Dixie Highway is shut down so guests can browse the many wonderful shops and restaurants along the way; On the Avenue featuring a guided tour of Via Mizner by Palm Beach Historian Rick Rose; and a Sunset History Cruise Benefitting its Educational Programs.
Photographer Annie Watt, whose work has appeared on these pages for years, hosted an end-of-season exhibition of her work transforming the Solarium of The Colony Hotel into an art gallery for the evening. Two hundred friends gathered to view photos from the season posted across the walls and tables which she offered for purchase to benefit The Viner Scholars and postgraduate student, Zig Hinds.
The event was underwritten by Sarah and Andrew Wetenhall, owners of The Colony Hotel, so 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the photos could be donated to the charity. Co-hosts for this one night only exhibition included Swifty’s Robert Caravaggi, philanthropist Eleanora Kennedy, Christine and George Ledes, and The Viner Family. Annie’s sister Sandi Victor volunteered to track donations while Annie welcomed guests and displayed photos capturing the spirit of Palm Beach families and their philanthropic efforts during this historic time.
Annie told guests she chose to donate funds from the event to education because she wouldn’t have been able to afford her college education if not for the scholarship she had received from the School of Visual Arts in NYC.
To view the 2022 exhibition photos available for purchase, click HERE
Based in South Florida, the Annie Watt Agency continues to provide photography services and media outreach in the Hamptons and NYC, with a presence in LA, London, and Italy. Her photography has appeared in Condé Nast and Hearst magazines, as well as New York Lifestyles, Avenue, Quest, The Palm Beach Daily News, The Palm Beach Post, Palm Beach Illustrated, Miami/Palm Beach Today, Metropolitan Palm Beach, and other publications. To book a photographer, contact the Annie Watt Agency at annie@AnnieWatt.com
And by day, Nicole Salmasi and Bugari hosted a luncheon at Swifty’s at The Colony Hotel for Stacey Leuliette, Candidate for “Woman of the Year” of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of South Florida.
Guests included: Joclyn Javits, Kamie Lightburn, Regina Moskow, Valerie Cooper, Angela Dotson, Lauren Day Roberts, Lucia Hwong Gordon, Pamala Wright, Ann Van Ness, Regine Traulen, Simone Levinson, Paola Bacchini, Janna Bullock, Elizabeth Fekkai, Sharon Loeb, Bettina Anderson, Kimberly de Vissher, Darrah Ford, Zoe Bullock, Kim Heirston, Whitney Hesse, and others.
Dedicated to curing leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other blood cancers, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world’s largest nonprofit health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services.
Since 1949, they’ve’ve invested nearly $1.3 billion in groundbreaking research, pioneering many of today’s most innovative approaches. They work tirelessly to find cures and ensure patients can access the lifesaving treatments they need. When someone experiences the fear and uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis, they provide hope, compassion, education and support. The campaign closes on May 14th. To donate, please click HERE
And lastly, we asked Maribel Alvarez, the Florida rep for Institut Le Rosey in Rolle, Switzerland, to tell us about the dinner she recently hosted for alums at Pizza al Fresco on Worth Avenue. She told us, “It all started with Carolina Barefoot and Maria Precoda hosting parents and students at their homes to learn about Le Rosey’s various camps in Switzerland and in Kenya.
Word got out among the Rosey family, and as expected, Rosey alumni, ranging in ages from 21 to over 80 turned it into an opportunity to celebrate with their fellow Anciens Roséens. “Marzia’s home and Javier’s gracious welcoming at Pizza al Fresco were a Palm Beach Rosey tradition before COVID — clearly fellow anciens jumped on this moment to gather together. More than thirty anciens drove from as far as South Carolina or flew in with two days notice to reunite with their dear friends; and meet new members of the Rosey family. A reminder that Rosey is indeed a ‘school for life’ as their motto says,” said Alvarez.
