Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
Haute Living honored Basic Instinct icon Sharon Stone as she beautifully graced the cover of its Miami October-November issue with an intimate dinner at the gorgeous Matador Room at the Miami Beach EDITION hotel, alongside luxury watch brand Hublot. Given the star’s tireless philanthropic endeavors, the evening also served as a fundraiser for her and her sister Kelly’s foundation, Planet Hope, raising a total of $150K from proceeds of the live auction.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
The night began with a cocktail reception inside the trendy, Spanish-inspired restaurant where Stone charmed the room, posed in photos with guests and chatted with visitors who came to town for the affair. Notable attendees included Kelly Stone and her husband Bruce Singer, Hublot Managing Director of North America Jean-Francois Sberro, Haute Living CEO Kamal Hotchandani, artist Romero Britto, Alexandra della Porta of St. Moritz’s Soul (who has an upcoming charity benefit that Stone will be headlining next month), philanthropists Marta and Ron Bloom, Elsa Benitez, Richard and Susie Charlton, Jack Helfon, artists Metish Atash, Kaï and Roberta de Paoli and gallery owner Bernard Markowicz, among others.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
As dinner began and guests took their seats, Stone raised her glass and the room immediately fell silent, captivated by the energy of the star as she began to discuss Planet Hope and its importance now more than ever. The non-profit organization raises funds to provide resources for at-risk children and families facing illness, crises and homelessness.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
In her exclusive cover story with Haute Living, Stone emphasized that, “with the onset of increasing issues of natural disasters, we are needed more and more—we hope to have the funds to help the increasing amount of homeless families.” She discussed this again during her heartfelt speech at dinner.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
Stone is also on a pursuit to find a cure for HIV/AIDs and has been working diligently on the cause with the amFar foundation for years. She affirmed, “The belief that somehow it will simply go away if we ignore it or condemn it or shame those with it . . . . To pretend that somewhere, somehow, someone wrong caused this bad and supposedly shameful thing—this type of ludicrous behavior over an illness has caused millions of deaths and underfunding. Ignorance and fear is the most daunting challenge.” She has made miraculous strides to end the epidemic with her work with amFar, and with her sister Kelly for Planet Hope.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
After her passionate speech, Stone took her seat and dinner began. Guests enjoyed a mouth-watering selection of some of the Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant’s signature plates, like the Sweet Pea Guacamole, Spicy Tuna Tartare, Black Truffle Pizza, Charred Octopus, Arroz Con Pollo, Roasted Snapper with a sweet chili-garlic sauce and Salted Caramel Flan for dessert.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
Following dinner, Kamal Hotchandani took the stage to introduce Hublot’s Jean-Francois Sberro, who presented Sharon Stone with a beautiful, yellow Broderie Sugar Skull Fluo Sunflower timepiece, one of the brand’s newest releases, to honor her for her admirable philanthropic work with Planet Hope and HIV/AIDS. Sberro explained that the piece was chosen for her as it embodies strong femininity and Hublot’s motto, “the art of fusion.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
And the night was not complete without the inclusion of the live auction moderated by The Markowicz Fine Art Gallery’s Bernard Markowicz, who introduced artists Metish Atash, Kaï, Richard Orlinski and Roberta De Paoli. Some of the one-of-a-kind pieces included a Family of Buddhas inspired by Frida Kahlo, a beautiful mixed media painting by Kaï that symbolized the spread of love and knowledge, a stunning white Wolf sculpture by Richard Orlinski and a photograph painting by Roberta De Paoli. Stone then took to the stage and livened up the room by getting more bids flowing. Additionally, famed pop artist Romero Britto – whose work is featured in the homes of the Queen of England and Jane Fonda, among others – joined Stone on stage and auctioned off a portrait painting, snagged by two lucky couples, who will each have their portraits done by the world-renowned artist.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
The auction was a huge success, garnering $150K in proceeds to directly benefit Planet Hope. With some more gracious words from Sharon and Kelly Stone, as well as Kelly’s husband, Bruce Singer, the event concluded with everyone’s hearts full from an evening of giving back and honoring the legendary actress.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Romain Maurice
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