The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is pleased to host The Modern Ball, the Museum’s largest gala fund-raiser. The special biennial event will be held on Wednesday, May 2, 2007, and is chaired by SFMOMA Trustee Elaine McKeon.
The Modern Ball will take place at the Museum, with the soaring five-story Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Atrium at the center of activity. Tented spaces on both the Minna and Natoma street sides of the building will offer venues for dinner and dancing. Event designer Stanlee Gatti will create the spectacular decor. Guests will be treated to gourmet indulgences, a feast of entertainment, a live auction with exclusive art-related items, and other surprise activities throughout the evening.
The multifaceted gala will begin with two concurrent events: The Gala Dinner, a five-star meal with a live auction and entertainment, and The Supper Club, a hip and stylish lounge that features dinner and more live music. Guests will converge with additional late-night revelers at The Post-Modern Party, a Museum-wide after-party featuring live and DJ entertainment. The evening’s entertainment lineup includes performers such as jazz great Paula West, Salvador Santana, Larry “T-Byrd” Gordon, and local indie-rock band Scissors for Lefty.
The Gala Dinner
The evening begins with cocktails in the Haas Atrium, then moves to a seated dinner in a spectacular tented setting on Natoma Street. The Gala Dinner also features a live auction conducted by Mark Buell with six exclusive art and travel packages.
6 p.m.
Tickets: $2,500–$5,000 per person
Tables of 10: $25,000 and $50,000
Auction highlights include:
Miami Art Extravaganza for Two
Soak up three days and nights of Miami’s white-hot art scene as a bona fide insider. This sinfully rich trip includes lavish accommodations at South Beach’s venerable Setai hotel; VIP passes to Art Basel Miami Beach; passes to Art Basel’s exclusive opening event and preview; visits to the hottest private collections in the area; a pre-trip art consultation with Mary Zlot; and an array of exclusive invitations and luxuries.
First-Class London Art Tour for Two
Christie’s, one of the world’s most elite auction houses, plays host for a brilliantly regal three-day, three-night stay in Britain’s dazzling capital. The Ritz London provides the swank accommodations, while a private car service delivers you in style to every destination. Perks include a private studio visit and meeting with the director of Gagosian Gallery; a tea hosted by Lady Lynn and Lord Evelyn de Rothschild at their London home (the former studio of painter John Singer Sargent); a personalized tour of the East End galleries with renowned critic Roger Bevan; dinner with star architect Lord Richard Rogers and his acclaimed chef-wife, Lady Ruth, at their world-famous River Café; invitations to prestigious private collections; and a customized schedule of art viewings and meetings tailored to the winning bidder’s interests.
Other packages include a private NetJets tour of legendary art sites in Texas, a wine connoisseurs’ weekend in the Napa Valley with private dinner prepared by culinary heavyweight Thomas Keller at the French Laundry, VIP treatment at New York’s inimitable Fashion Week, and a photography fanatic’s bonanza.
The Supper Club
Drinks, dinner, and swinging sounds are served up in a swank tented lounge on Minna Street.
6:30 p.m. Reserved tables
8 p.m. Buffet lounge
Buffet lounge tickets: $350 per person
Reserved tables for 10: $5,000
The Post-Modern Party
Diners converge and are joined by more partygoers at this Museum-wide bash, with live musical entertainment, gourmet nibbles, drinks, and dancing well into the night.
9 p.m.–midnight
Tickets: $125 general
Committee
Chair: Elaine McKeon
Honorary Chairs: Helen and Charles Schwab
Committee members: Carolyn Butcher, Carla Emil, Amanda M. Gamble, Stanlee Gatti, Leigh Matthes, Eileen Michael, Catherine L. Post, Rebecca Prowda, Norah Stone, Danielle Walker, and Pat Wilson.
Tickets
Tickets to The Modern Ball will be available at the Museum (no surcharge) or online at www.sfmoma.org (surcharge applies) on March 1, 2007. For more information, call 415.618.3263.
Sponsors
Lead support for The Modern Ball is provided by Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. Major support is provided by Banana Republic, Robert Mondavi Winery, and the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund. Special thanks to Korbel Champagne Cellars, San Francisco magazine, St. Regis Hotel, and W Hotel San Francisco.