An Elegant Evening at The Art Show Gala Preview
By Henry Street Settlement
Above: Guests celebrating at The Art Show 2020 Gala Preview. Photo by Cesarin Mateo.
The Art Show 2020 Gala Preview, Henry Street Settlement’s largest annual fundraiser, opened with a splash on Wednesday, February 26, when more than 1,350 artists, celebrities, philanthropists, and long-time Settlement supporters filled the elegant Park Avenue Armory for the 32nd annual event. The Preview allows guests to experience the nation’s longest-running and most important art show before doors open to the general public from February 27 through March 1.
Above: Robert Burch and Henry Street Settlement Board of Directors president emeritus Dale Jones Burch. Photo by Cesarin Mateo.
The festive celebration at the nexus of art and philanthropy, organized by the Art Dealers Association of America with support from lead partner AXA XL, a division of AXA Group, raised nearly $1 million for Henry Street’s programs through ticket sales and a silent auction featuring a colorful collage of cutouts, O Sanfoneiro, 2015-2020, by Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes.
Above: Henry Street Settlement Board of Directors Co-Chairman Ian Highet and Lea Highet. Photo by Cesarin Mateo.
Art Show guests nibbled delectable appetizers and sipped a signature cocktail while perusing the art brought together by more than 72 galleries from around the world, this year more than half of them showing the work of a single artist, including 19 women. View a full photo album online here.
Catered by Canard Inc., the preview featured such delicacies as sake-cured sliced tuna on forbidden rice cake, mushroom pizza with feta on a cauliflower crust, and shrimp ceviche on red and white endive leaves. Guests enjoyed Death & Co.’s Dream Catcher cocktail made of Cruzan Aged Rum, Giffard Caribbean Pineapple Liqueur, Kalani Coconut, lime, and cinnamon.
Above: A dim sum feast by caterer Canard, Inc., was a highlight. Photo by Cesarin Mateo.
Proceeds from Gala Preview tickets, the silent auction, and daily admissions support Henry Street’s social service, arts, and health care programs that serve more than 50,000 people each year. “From its inception, The Art Show has been not only a beloved New York City cultural event but the greatest source of flexible funding to Henry Street Settlement, enabling the Settlement to help community members in need to better their lives and pursue their dreams,” said David Garza, Henry Street Settlement President & CEO. “The Art Show and the generosity of its patrons allow us to provide our community with access to the arts, academic support for low-income students, mental health counseling, shelter from homelessness and domestic violence, job-placement, and senior services.”
Above: Henry Street Settlement Board of Directors Vice President Pilar Crespi Robert and Henry Street Settlement President & CEO David Garza. Photo by Cesarin Mateo.
This year, art show-goers enjoyed pieces by the late artists Alice Neel and Ficre Ghebreyesus; exciting and provocative new works by Zanele Muholi and Ramiro Gomez; a joint presentation by Fraenkel Gallery and Luhring Augustine on the use of text in the photography of Lee Friedlander and paintings of Christopher Wool; and a tribute to renowned art dealer Phyllis Kind.
Henry Street is deeply indebted to lead partner AXA XL, lead sponsor Renate Hofmann Article 3 Charitable Trust, and Diamond Circle members Bloomberg Philanthropies, Mitzi & Warren Eisenberg, Scott & Evette Ferguson, our board co-chair Ian Highet and Lea Highet, and board member Pilar Crespi Robert and Stephen Robert
Spotted at the Preview were the author Colm Tóibín; philanthropist Agnes Gund; actors Mackenzie Leigh, Amy Hargreaves, Stephanie March with husband Dan Benton, and Kolton Krouse; and artists KAWS and Donald Moffett, among many other boldface names.
Above: Artist KAWS and a guest at the Gala Preview. Photo by Cesarin Mateo.
Co-chairs for the event were Mitzi and Warren Eisenberg, Katherine Farley and Jerry I. Speyer, Janine and J. Tomilson Hill, Pilar Crespi Robert and Stephen Robert, Kaki and Scott Swid, and Anita and Byron Wien.
The Art Show, established in 1989, is the nation’s most respected and longest-running art fair, featuring museum-quality exhibitions of Impressionist, Modern, and Contemporary works. It is open to the public from Thursday, February 27, through Sunday, March 1; Thursday and Friday noon to 8 p.m., Saturday noon to 7 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $25. All daily admission tickets directly benefit Henry Street and are available electronically here or at the Armory, located at 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street.
Above: Guests at The Art Show Gala Preview. Photo by Cesarin Mateo.
To view and bid on the silent auction piece, click here through March 1.
