The 2019 edition of the Guggenheim International Gala was held on November 13 and 14. Both evenings celebrated the 60th anniversary of the museum’s Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building and its recent inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The evenings honored four individuals who have historic affiliations with the Guggenheim: Frank Gehry, the preeminent architect of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the forthcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi; Peter Lawson-Johnston, honorary chair of the Guggenheim Foundation and grandson of museum founder Solomon R. Guggenheim; Mary Sharp Cronson, founder and board president emerita of Works & Process, the long-standing performing arts program at the Guggenheim Museum; and Caroline Cronson, producer of Works & Process.
Festivities kicked off with the Pre-Party on November 13, featuring a dynamic performance by the French musician Christine and the Queens, with the benefit dinner taking place on the 14th. The 2019 Guggenheim International Gala was made possible by Dior.
This event is the museum’s annual signature fundraising event, providing essential support for its world-renowned exhibition and educational programming, and stewardship of the building and unparalleled collection of modern and contemporary works of art. Gala Co-chairs were Christina and Robert Baker, Pietro Beccari, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Valerie and Charles Diker, Gail Engelberg, Wendy Fisher and Dennis Goodman, Janine and J. Tomilson Hill, Sheree Hovsepian and Rashid Johnson, Phyllis and William Mack, Denise and Andrew Saul, and Jamie Singer and Robert Soros.
ABOUT CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS
A celebrated figure in contemporary pop music, French artist Christine and the Queens is known for immaculate dance routines and showmanship. Christine and the Queens wrote, arranged and produced her last album Chris, which followed her debut record that received near-universal acclaim in France in 2014 and the United Kingdom in 2016, and sold more than 1.3 million copies. Chris is a direct record that makes no apology for its themes of desire, machismo and otherness, and also embraces complexity. Among other media highlights, she appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine’s Next Generation Leaders issue in September 2018.
ABOUT THE SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM FOUNDATION
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was established in 1937 and is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The Guggenheim international constellation of museums includes the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. In 2019, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum celebrates 60 years as an architectural icon and “temple of spirit” where radical art and architecture meet. To learn more about the museum and the Guggenheim’s activities around the world, visit guggenheim.org.
