Culture
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Visual artist Jeff Koons to be honored with the 2016 Trophée des Arts
Visual artist Jeff Koons The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) is set to honor American visual artist Jeff Koons with the 2016 Trophée des Arts at The Plaza hotel on Friday, October 28, 2016. That same evening, the FIAF will also pay tribute to L’Oréal Chairman & CEO Jean-Paul Agon by awarding him with the 2016 Pilier d’Or.
Since his first solo exhibition in 1980, Jeff Koons has been recognized as one of the most prominent artists working today. Since then, the world-famous artist has long contributed to the cultural life in France. He presented his extraordinary floral public sculpture, Split-Rocker, for the first time at the Palais des Papes, in Avignon. The famed artist subsequently had a notable solo exhibition in the gardens of the Château de Versailles, which opened its doors to a living artist for the first time, in 2008. A recent exhibition, Jeff Koons: A Retrospective was presented to great fanfare in 2015 at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
BREAKING: The French Institute Alliance Française confirmed that visual artist Jeff Koons will be honored with the 2016 Trophée des Arts at The Plaza Hotel on Friday, October 28, 2016. “This year’s honorees are pioneers and adventurers,” explains FIAF President Marie-Monique Steckel. “There is no doubt that each honoree is a leader in beauty and exploration. Jeff Koons has reinvented contemporary art and created a conversation about new forms and ways to express artistic creation; Jean-Paul Agon has spent his career traveling the world for L’Oréal and exploring new expressions of beauty.”
The annual FIAF Trophée des Arts gala evening will raise funds to support FIAF’s educational and cultural programs and is co-chaired by Larry Gagosian, Kenneth M. Jacobs, William & Clémence Von Mueffling and Robert & Elisabeth G. Wilmers.
Created in 1992, the Trophée des Arts distinguishes artists who shows FIAF‘s mission of French-American friendship and cross-cultural exchange. It has been bestowed upon French and American artists and cultural icons, including: François Cluzet, Alain Ducasse, Jacques Grange, Marc Jacobs, James Ivory, Angélique Kidjo, Philippe de Montebello, Charlie Rose, Robert Wilson, and most recently Françoise Gilot.
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Do women run the world?
Jessye Norman is an American Grammy award-winning opera singer and recitalist. A dramatic soprano, Norman is associated in particular with the Wagnerian repertoire, and with the roles of Sieglinde, Ariadne, Alceste, and Leonore. She’s been inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and is a Spingarn Medalist. Apart from receiving several honorary doctorates and other awards, she has also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts, and is a member of the British Royal Academy of Music. In 2003, the Rachel Longstreet Foundation and Norman partnered to open the Jessye Norman School of the Arts, a tuition-free performing arts after-school program for economically disadvantaged students in Augusta, Georgia. Norman is actively involved in the program, including fundraisers for its benefit. Photo credit UNC Education. Why are these women chosen in honor of International Women’s Day? I think it’s worth noting that they were so many other influential leading ladies that I thought of, but time simply didn’t allow. Tennis superstar, Steffi Graff is instrumental, not only because of her endurance, grace, and skills, but she was the first tennis star that got me interested in the game. When I first watched her, I simply couldn’t believe how focus, and graceful she was on the tennis court. Jane Austen, Andree Putman, Bette Davis, Jessye Norman? These women, and the others embodies the longterm fruitage of hard work, endurance, and dedication. I salute them all. #OneDayIWill.
Audrey Hepburn, Bob Willoughby, 1963. from “My Fair Lady”. Recognized as a film and fashion icon, Hepburn was active during Hollywood’s Golden Age. She was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third greatest female screen legend in the history of American cinema and was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. Photo credit Peter Fetterman. 
International tennis superstar, Steffi Graf. “Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. Her 22 singles titles is second all-time behind Margaret Court, and marks the record for most Major wins by a tennis player (male or female) since the introduction of the Open Era in 1968. In 1988, she became the first and only tennis player (male or female) to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. Furthermore, she is the only tennis player to have won each Grand Slam event at least 4 times.” Photo credit The Famous People.com. 
21 Grand Slam tennis legend Serena Williams. According to Wikipedia Williams holds the most major singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles combined among active players, male or female. Her record of 36 major titles puts her fifth on the all-time list and second in the open era with 21 in singles, 13 in women’s doubles, and two in mixed doubles”. She is widely known as the greatest female tennis player of all time. Getty Images. 
Eileen Moray Gray was an Irish furniture designer and architect and a pioneer of the Modern Movement in architecture. She is often refered to as the quintessential Modernist. She was born as Katherine Eileen Moray Smith on 9 August 1878, near Enniscorthy, a market town in south-eastern Ireland. Gray designed the iconic Bibendum Chair was as part of the modernist movement which was completely different from Gray’s earlier, more traditional work. She decided to make the change in style to simply make “progress”. The art critics loved the chair and reviews in papers and magazines exclaimed that it was a “triumph of modern living”. 
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature. Her realism, biting irony and social commentary as well as her acclaimed plots have gained her historical importance among scholars and critics. She is the author of the widly popular novel Pride and Prejudice. 
La Grande Dame of Design: Global sensation Andrée Putman. In 1997, Andrée Putman created her eponymous Studio, specializing in interior design, product design and scenography. When she imagined objects, she refused the excess of striving to re-design pieces which were perfectly designed by others in the past. “We have to accept that many things can no longer be changed – or very slightly. In her lifetime, she was awarded with a multitude of awards, including: BEST DESIGNER, voted by 4000 journalists (2009). Photo credit Marie Claire. 
Diana Vreeland, noted columnist and editor of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue and as a special consultant at the Costume Institute of The Museum of Art. Diana was included in the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1964. In 1984 Vreeland wrote her autobiography, D.V. 
Diana Princess of Wales. Children with Leukaemia (currently Children with Cancer UK) was inaugurated in 1988 by the Princess of Wales in memory of Jean and Paul O’Gorman. The O’Gorman family was shattered when brother and sister, Paul and Jean, fell victim to cancer within nine months of each other. In November 1987, just days after Jean’s death, the O’Gorman family met Diana. Deeply moved by the double tragedy, Diana personally helped the O’Gorman family to start the charity. She inaugurated the charity on 12 January 1988 at Mill Hill Secondary School. Diana continued to support the charity until her death in 1997. Photo by Mario Testino. 
Ruth Elizabeth “Bette” Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses in cinema history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic, sardonic characters and was reputed for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies, although her greatest successes were her roles in romantic dramas. -
New York’s Noteworthy Art Openings
AUTUMN IN NY: Art Openings
Text and Photos by Rose Hartman
Run, do not walk to the Fashion Institute of Technology to visit their latest exhibit, “Fashion Underground; the World of Susanne Bartsch”; Dubbed the queen of the night, Bartsch gained fame as the creator of spectacular parties beginning in the early eighties On view are her one-of-a-kind, extravagant outfits and accessories designed by the likes of Gautier, McQueen and the Blonds,, and displayed in the museum’s ceiling-high gallery. Club-kid style and its ringleader’s wardrobe are on view until Dec. 5, 2015.
Susanne Bartsch with Stephen Jones 
Bartsch’s wardrobe 
David & Phlippe Blond & Jean Shafiroff; 
Bartsch & Ru Paul 
Valerie Steele, FIT’s curator 
Pat Cleveland 
Calvin Klein 
Dianne Brill BOOK LAUNCH:
Mao and Roger Padilla signed their latest biography on edgy fashion photographer Chris Von Wangenheim at Marc Jacob’s west village boutique before heading over to the Tunnel to celebrate.
Marc Jacobs 
Karen Bjorson 
Guest at The Tunnel -
Mad about Loot!
The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) honored cultural patron, collector, and journalist Barbara Tober for her 35 years of commitment to the Museum, and Vacheron Constantin, the world’s oldest watch manufacturer, on Monday, September 28, 2015 at the LOOT 2015: MAD ABOUT JEWELRY gala benefit.
Barbara Tober The evening began with a preview of 50 emerging and acclaimed artists’ jewelry at LOOT, the annual one-of-a-kind jewelry exhibition and sale and a cocktail party.
MAD’s Nanette L. Laitman Director, Glenn Adamson, wore a black and white Cor Sine Labe Doli ceramic bow tie and welcomed shoppers to LOOT 2015. Honoree, Barbara Tober wore a Sylvie & Christophe Tissot necklace that she purchased at the event. Michele Cohen, LOOT’s Chairman, wore an amazing felt necklace from designer Gori-Montanelli. Bryna Pomp, LOOT’s Curator, wore a beautiful set from Finnish designer Chao-Hsien Kuo.
Guests that attended included: Susan Ach and Larry Ach and Sylvia Lavietes, Muna Rihani Al-Nasser, Edgar Batista, Thomas Bell, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Bonnie Comley, Joanne Brecker, Vincent Brun, Aileen Brunner, Marian and Rusty Burke, Giosetta Capriati, Michael Cestone, Michele and Marty Cohen, Michael and Nick Cohn, Talea de Freese, Barbara de Portago, Philippe Delouvrier, Jacqueline Weld Drake, Anita Durst, Michael Dweck, Patti Dweck, John Eason, Lisa Eatroff, Sarah L. Elson, Emily Cutler, Dorit Engel, Helen W. Drutt English, Susan Falk, Elizabeth Falk, Patricia Falkenberg, Fe and Alessandro Fendi, Patricia and John Forelle. Michelle Gerber Klein, Karyn Gershon, Amy Gold, Marjorie Reed Gordon, Boo Grace, Maria Eugenia Maury Haseltine, Lillian Heidenberg, Jana Jaffe, Howard and Judy Karasik, Karen Klopp, Stewart Lane, Marcia Levine, Nancy Jane Lowey, Betsy McCaughey, Gillian Miniter, Sadie Mitnick, Marsy Mittlemann, Satoru and Hiroko Murase, Maureen M. Nash, Pamela J. Newman, Nicole Dicocco, Allison Niles. Nana Onishi, Rafael Ortiz, Bryna and Martin Pomp, Judy and Peter Price, Deborah Roberts, Bette Saltzman, Edwina Sandys, Sara Sant’Ambrogio, Randi Schatz, Jean Shaffiroff, Dorothy Sprague, Valerie Steele, Clarice Oliveira Tavares, Pat K. Tigrett, Barbara and Donald Tober, Kay Unger, Adrienne Vittadini and Gianluigi Vittadini, and Alessandra Zorgniotti
Bryna Pomp 
Nicole DiCocco 
Jacques Jarrige 
Barbara Tober 
Joy Marks 
Barbara Tober 
Michele Cohen, Barbara Tober, Bryna Pomp LOOT Mad About Jewelry Cocktail and Dinner Benefit The Museum of Arts and Design, NYC September 28, 2015] ©Patrick McMullan Photo – Sean Zanni/PatrickMcMullan.com LOOT: MAD About Jewelry is the Museum of Arts and Design’s annual six-day exhibition and sale featuring designs from emerging and acclaimed jewelry artists. Championing the vision and craftsmanship of international studio and art jewelers—many of whom have never before shown work in the US—LOOT often serves as a launch pad for the next generation of designers.
Picture credit: Annie Watt, ©Patrick McMullan
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Visionary Women On The Rise
Last week Thursday, the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society hosted its annual New York cocktail with a panel discussion on “How to Accelerate Women’s Economic Growth” at the Skyroom of the French Institute, aka Alliance Française. The evening was co-hosted by the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, Madeira Global and FIAF, with the support of Assouline. Celebrated author Angella Nazarian, also signed copies of her new book, Visionary Women, a highly inspiring good read that I highly recommend.
“When we connect with others, we can create fuel that will make this world a better place and certainly fast forward women and girls,” Kim Azzarelli
“I am a true believer in peer mentorship. It’s a must for the advancement of young women and girls.” Angella Nazarian, author of Visionary Women published by Assouline.
(L-R) Women’s Forum consultant Jean-Christian Agid, President and CEO of Pro Mujer Rosario Perez, author Melanne Verveer, author Angella Nazarian and author Kim Azzarelli attend Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Author Angella Nazarian signs a book at Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
View of atmosphere at Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
(L-R) Author Angella Nazarian, author Melanne Verveer, author Kim Azzarelli and President and CEO of Pro Mujer Rosario Perez speak at Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Author Angella Nazarian speaks at Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
“We are at an inflection point where data shows that women are rising more and more to the top. The data also shows that when we invest in women and girls, we can get to the world we want to see.” Ambassador Melanne Verveer, co-founder of SenecaWomen 
President of FIAF Marie-Monique Steckel (L) speaks at Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Author Kim Azzarelli attends Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Model Tasha de Vasconcelos attends Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
(L-R) Publisher Martine Assouline, President and CEO of Pro Mujer Rosario Perez, author Melanne Verveer, author Angella Nazarian, author Kim Azzarelli and publisher Prosper Assouline attend Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
(L-R) Publisher Prosper Assouline, Alexandre Assouline, President of FIAF Marie-Monique Steckel and publisher Martine Assouline attend Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Theater producer Francine Lefrak (L) and author Kim Azzarelli attend Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Jessica Seeley (L) and Women’s Forum consultant Jean-Christian Agid attend Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Author Jenny Santi attends Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) “Twenty years after the Beijing conference, it is time to speed up the empowerment of women around the world, to be more energetic, and to create more opportunities,” notes Jacqueline Franjou, CEO of the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society.
Among the powerful women portrayed in Visionary Women, Rosario Perez, former president and CEO of Pro Mujer, concluded that “We can’t underestimate the power of showing someone who they can make it.” A member of the Women’s Forum Mexico Advisory Committee, Perez added that “women in Latin America do not have the same access to opportunity and resources but they have the will and drive. Our mission at Pro Mujer is to provide that helping hand so that women can help each other.”
Among the other attendees at the cocktail event were former and future delegates of the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, such as Martine and Prosper Assouline; Alexandre Assouline, Rising Talents Laetitia Garriott de Cayeux and Hannah Seligson; Actress Kiera Chaplin; television producer Carole Holmes Delouvrier; member of the House of Lords and 30% Club co-founder Mary Goudie; Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance Executive director Olivia Flatto; Assouline Vice-President Stéphanie Labeille-Sczyrba; philanthropist Francine LeFrak; corporate social responsibility expert Susan McPherson; Art dealer and gallery owner Eric Mourlot; Starlite Randall; authors Jenny Santi and Delphine Schrank; visual artist Jessica Seeley; FIAF President Marie-Monique Steckel; Founder of Amor and humanitarian Ambassador Tasha de Vasconselos; WeConnect International President Elizabeth Vazquez; and Marissa Wesely.
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The Met’s New Pop-Up Store
The Metropolitan Museum store welcomes paper enthusiasts to its pop-up store: the Paper Project, a reinterpretation of the Museum shop, that goes back where it all began in 1910 in the museum’s Great Hall.
From the humble postcard to cutting-edge jewelry design, the pop-up store features a staggering 500 products, every one made of paper, crafted in all its most creative manifestations. This edit of products honors what paper can mean in the hands of a variety of makers and designers, and includes approximately 25 feet of postcards and new prints that showcase the richness of the Met’s unrivaled collection. If you have a fascination with paper like I do, then you’ll be delighted to have the opportunity to purchase reproductions of their favorite artworks from the Museum’s galleries, including masterpieces by the likes of Rubens, Rossetti, Picasso, Gauguin, Modigliani, Klee, and Hopper, as well as beloved items currently not on view, such as rarely seen works on paper by Michelangelo, Van Gogh, and Leonardo da Vinci.
The pop-up celebrates the best of the Met: our originality, quality, variety, and style. Prices from $2–$475
As you visit the Paper Project pop-up, you will encounter an expansive spectrum of color, displayed across monolithic benches that recall the bronze and marble found in the Met’s famous Great Hall. The architectural features of the store have allowed the museum to highlight treasures from their collection, creating synergy between the products and the environment they inhabit.
The Paper Project pop-up is open through the holiday season Sunday–Thursday: 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. -
Leading Actors Couple Up at the NYU Tisch Gala 2015
Morgan Macgregor, Michael C Hall The NYU Tisch School of the Arts annual gala honoring Michael C. Hall, Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman, with a special tribute to Mel Silverman, took place this past Monday, at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall. The evening was hosted by Anna Deavere Smith and featured special presenters Peter Krause, Tyne Daly and Winnie Holzman. The gala performance, directed by Bill Castellino, celebrated the incredible accomplishments of Tisch students, both past and present. Proceeds from the gala supported the education of talented young artists from around the world. Tisch Big Apple Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Arts went to Steven Lutvak ’83 and Robert L. Freedman ’83. The evening concluded with the Tisch Big Apple Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Performing Arts to actor Michael C. Hall, Class of ’96.
Dean Allyson Green, Ewan McGregor 
Michael C. Hall, Dean Allyson Green 
Lauren Graham, Peter Krause 
Robert Freedman, Allyson Green, Steven Lutvak 
Ewan McGregor poses alongside his wife Eve Mavrakis on the red carpet while attending the 2015 NYU Tisch School Of The Arts Gala held at the Frederick P. Rose Hall 
Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause -
The Triumph of The Wine Culture
Former French Prime minister and Mayor of Bordeaux Alain Juppé Last Thursday evening, the former French Prime minister and Mayor of Bordeaux Alain Juppé, and former Maitre of the Commanderie de Bordeaux in New York and Managing Director of Epstein Becker & Green, PC, George Sape, officially launched “The American Friends of the Cité des civilisations du vin” during an international wine tasting extravaganza at the United Nations Delegates Dining Room in New York. As a result, the best wines from more than 50 countries, from Lebanon to Mexico, from Australia to Jordania, and of course from several French regions, was available during an “around the world” wine tasting and food pairing. Created in the heart of France’s famous wine region Bordeaux, the Cité des civilisations du vin aims to share the ancient culture of wine with an international public, to light the way, to contribute to protecting and passing down this intangible universal heritage.
“This is the first fund-raising effort for the American Friends of the Cité des civilisations du vin (AFCCV). “We plan to raise one million dollars to fund the naming of ‘The Thomas Jefferson Auditorium’ at the Cité, which will be symbolic of the unique history of close relations between France and U.S.” George Sape
The Cité des civilisations du vin, is expected to open to the public in 2016. “[This landmark] cries out for creativity and futuristic thinking not just the presence of wine,” Sape explains. “This magnificent new landmark that will house a new world center for wine is destined to become an international focus on wine and its role in our lives, past, present, and future. Not a museum, but a living and evolving center of all that wine has and will embody in our lives!”
Fun Facts: Did you know that while Thomas Jefferson, the Founding Father and future President of the United States, was the U.S. Ambassador to France (1785-1789), he discovered the wines of Bordeaux, and later introduced them to the United States? He later grew vines and produced wine on his beloved property in Monticello, Virginia.
Sylvie Cazes and Elisabeth Wilmers 
Julien Farel, Kiera Chaplin, SuelynFarel 
Stephanie Labeille and Alain Juppé 
Benedicte de Montlaur, Olivia Flatto and Alain Juppé 
Philippe Delouvrier, Carole Holmes Delouvrier, Marie-Monique Steckel 
Julien & Suelyn Farel and Kiera Chaplin 
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Hooked on Art
Fish Stories: Early Images of American Game Fish at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Fish Stories and the new acquisitions embody Crystal Bridges‘ mission to unite the power of art with the beauty of nature. “Game Fishes of the United States, one of the largest and most spectacular of American sporting books, was printed in 1879 -1880 at the zenith of late 19th-century American chromolithography. The work, which is included in the Crystal Bridges Library collection, features 20 color plates based on the original watercolor paintings by well-known sporting artist Samuel Kilbourne, with text written by ichthyologist George Brown Goode, head of the fish research programs of the US Fish Commission and the Smithsonian.”
“The collection in Fish Stories ranks among the most admired 19th-century color lithography and helps tell the story of American printmaking.” said Catherine Petersen, Crystal Bridges Library Director. “The exhibition provides a unique opportunity for art lovers, anglers, and families to explore distinctly American fish in their natural surroundings, many of which can be found in nearby rivers and lakes.”
The color plates capture a number of distinctly American fish in their natural surroundings, including the striped bass, sheepshead, bluefish, weakfish, red snapper, pompano, and brook trout. Each fish’s shimmering colors and delicate scales are amazingly vivid. This collection elegantly conveys the drama of sport fishing and highlights the exploration and celebration of nature in American art—one of the major themes in Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection.
Photo credit: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Library, Bentonville, Arkansas. Photography by Heugh-Edmondson Conservation Services, LLC.
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Paris’ Top Street Photographer
Robert Doisneau’s photography brings joy, laughter, happiness, and sometimes even some tears. His body of work is intriguing, fresh, and enchanting.Born in Gentilly, France in April 1912, Robert was mainly known for his candid street photography that focuses on The City of Light. His artwork is staged in homes, art fairs, auction houses, museums and galleries worldwide. Even yours truly is a Robert Doisneau collector.
The endearing photographer remains memorable, and a favorite among collectors and gallery owners.
His photography suggests a Paris long gone, but which many still yearned to have been part of.
Even today, Robert Doisneau’s photography is prominently displayed in homes, art fairs, auction houses, museums and galleries across the world.
