Last night, Aperture celebrated its 2019 Gala in a big way. Hosting leading figures from the worlds of photography, design, art, fashion media, and philanthropy, the night was a true celebration of the photography community. This year’s gala was themed “Muse” and as such, much of the night celebrated artists whose work draws inspiration from a specific impactful person. The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation and Mickalene Thomas and Racquel Chevremont were the honorees of the evening, recognized for their various groundbreaking photography practices and use of muse in their work.
Both the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation and Mickalene Thomas alongside her partner and muse Raquel Cheremont are quintessential in glorifying the muse in photography. All have a deep history with Aperture and have affected the foundation in significant ways.
During the cocktail hour, guests mingled and enjoyed works by Ellsworth Kelly, Tyler Mitchell, Vik Muniz, Shen Wei, and Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb that were later offered in a silent and live auctions. Once seated, gala Cohost Tilda Swinton welcomed guests and following the dinner and remarks, guests danced to a stand-out performance from Honey + Vinyl, which featured surprise special guest Rhonda Ross.
In addition to the performers, attendees included artists and photographers as well as institutional leaders and key donors such as, Diane Ackerman, Nina Chanel Abney, Theresa Chromati, Roe Ethridge, Barbara Gladstone, Sondra Gilman Gonzalez-Falla, Celso Gonzalez-Falla, Ethan James Green, Judy and Leonard Lauder, Antwaun Sargent, Deborah Willis.
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