Last week, the Frick Collection threw open its doors for one of New York’s most anticipated fêtes: the Young Fellows Ball. Now nearing its third decade, the annual gathering drew more than 600 of the city’s best-dressed under-45s there to serve looks and support the museum’s exhibitions, conservation efforts and public programming. The year’s theme, Porcelain Garden, took its cue from the reopening of “Porcelain Garden: Vladimir Kanevsky at The Frick Collection,” while many attendees took sartorial cues from the Ukrainian sculptor’s stunningly lifelike porcelain flowers.
Scattered throughout the museum, the blooms set the tone for an evening that was equal parts transportive, philanthropic and culturally grounded (the ball featured gallery talks centered on paintings by Turner and Lawrence side-by-side with DJ sets by Angel + Dren). Two immersive photo experiences, one on each floor, also echoed Kanevsky’s florals, offering guests a chance to step into artistic dreamscapes and capture the moment.
Spotted among the crowd were plenty of familiar faces, each clad to match the splendor of the setting. Prima ballerina Misty Copeland, glass artist Paul Arnhold and Baroness Allison Ecung von Arnim mingled with arts patron and executive Arielle Patrick, philanthropist Lizzie Asher, The Muses’ Jack James and Daniel Walters, art collector and PRZM cofounder Laurence Ross Milstein and actress Lola Tung. Honorary chair Bach Mai’s presence was unmistakable—not only for his design acumen but also for the showstopping gowns he created for a number of guests, including Copeland and Patrick, that nearly upstaged the beautiful artworks on display.
