World Monuments Fund (WMF) – the leading independent organization devoted to safeguarding the world’s most treasured places – hosted its 35th annual Hadrian Gala at The New York Public Library’s iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. The evening honored architect Peter Marino, FAIA and Dr. Marilyn Perry, Chair Emerita of World Monuments Fund and President Emerita of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, for their extraordinary efforts to save and restore the city of Venice. Since 1965, WMF has raised $300 million to support more than 700 diverse cultural heritage sites across 112 countries. The Hadrian Gala is WMF’s annual benefit to support these efforts, with this year’s event raising a record $2.1 million.
The Venetian-inspired evening included performances by acclaimed opera singer and Grammy Award-winner Anthony Roth Costanzo and members of the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra, and a dinner menu designed in collaboration with legendary chef Daniel Boulud, along with a live auction led by Christie’s.
Notable Guests Included: Prince Amyn Aga Khan, Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, Brook Berlind, Fiorella Ballabio, Shalini Bhupal, Suzanne Deal Booth, Bonnie Brennan, Wendy Brandow, Anna Somers Cocks, Bob Colacello, Susan and François de Menil, Layla Diba, Anh Duong, Richard Edwards and Kevin Ramnaraine, Jennifer Fischer, Mark Fletcher and Tobias Meyer, Amanda Foreman, Marina Kellen French, Bart Friedman and Wendy Stein, Sabine Getty, Germano Giuliani, Lorna and Edwin Goodman, Cassandra Grey, Cornelia Guest, Marlene Hess, Jane Holzer, Rashid Johnson, Y.Z. Kami, Eleanora Kennedy, Jack and Nora Kerr, Peter and Elbrun Kimmelman, Julia Koch, Laura Kugel, Elizabeth Kurpis, Bradley Lander, Stephen Lash, Anthony Ledru, Christian Louboutin, Deirdre Major, Jonathan Marder, Monika McLennan, Juan Carlos Menendez, Peter Miller, Janet Montag, Dr. Eric L. Motley, Alexandra Munroe, Kristina O’Neill, Catherine Orentreich, Priya Paul, Elizabeth Peabody, Marc Porter, Anna Raginskaya, Indré and Justin Rockefeller, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Carol Saper, Lauren Santo Domingo, Richard and Marjorie Schneidman, Christine Schwarzman, Hélène Marie Shafran, Daisy Soros, Melissa Stewart, Ellen and Bill Taubman, Begum and William H. Taft V, Barbara Tober, Thomas Vecchione, Kulapat Yantrasast, Kate Young, Manuela Wirth and Iwan Wirth.
To begin the night, President and CEO of WMF Bénédicte de Montlaur stated: “Today, World Monuments Fund is as much a movement as an organization. A movement of communities around the world committed to preserving their local cultural heritage; professionals dedicated to our shared global heritage; and a movement of leaders and philanthropists who believe that the diversity, beauty, and meaning of these cultural treasures hold the power to bring us a little closer together, make us a little bit more respectful of our differences, and inject wonder into a world in desperate need of all these things.”
Architect Peter Marino, FAIA, who was selected for his contributions to heritage and preservation in Venice, commented: “It’s a great privilege to be recognized by World Monuments Fund at this year’s Hadrian Gala and support WMF’s mission to preserve and protect the world’s architectural and cultural heritage. As chairman of Venetian Heritage, I work to preserve and restore the architecture and art in one of my favorite cities — Venice — which WMF has also worked tirelessly to protect.” Marino is currently Chairman of Venetian Heritage, having been a board member since 1991. He has supported extensive architectural and art renovations and restorations within Venice, including Ca’ d’Oro, on Venice’s Grand Canal, Museo di Palazzo Grimani, and life-size Antonio Rizzo statues for the Ducal Palace that inspire preservation efforts worldwide.
Chair Emerita of WMF and its longest serving Board Member (40 years), Dr. Marilyn Perry has been instrumental in the development of World Monuments Fund since joining the Board in 1984. An art historian, she lived in Venice during the 1970s prior to serving as President of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation (1981-2007). As Chair of the WMF Board from 1990 to 2007, she oversaw the development of the organization as staff and programs expanded and WMF's mission became global in scope. In 2015, for WMF's 50th anniversary, Dr. Perry wrote a brief history, Hadrian’s Way: Creating World Monuments Fund (1965-2015) to document the organization's development and its impact on the evolving heritage world. Accepting the 2024 Hadrian Award, she remarked, "One of our early challenges at WMF was to demonstrate to a larger audience the universal value of our work. Presenting the Hadrian Award (named for the ancient Roman Emperor) to notable international individuals drew attention to their concern for heritage sites and recognized the value of a universal movement. Now, as a Hadrian Awardee myself, I celebrate World Monuments Fund as a core adventure of my life."
The 2024 Hadrian Gala is made possible by the generosity of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). Additional support is provided by Tiffany & Co.
Image credit: Miguel McSongwe/BFA, Jason Lowrie/BFA
