Is This the Most Gorgeous Dinner in New York?

We’ve been to many, many parties but one that never fails to wow is the Frick’s annual Autumn Dinner. How can you beat the setting? The museum at 1 East 70th Street is the former home of Henry Clay Frick (1848-1919), the uber-mogul of the early 20th century. You can imagine Downton Abbey characters taking a stroll through the museum’s extraordinary picture galleries, filled with Old Masters from the Renaissance through the nineteenth century, among them works by Fragonard, Boucher, Goya, and and Valezquez, (The Autumn Dinner is the only time these galleries are used for a dinner.) Tables are so gorgeously set they call to mind the artful Flemish17th century still-lifes that graced the Frick’s walls during the exhibit, “Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Painting from the Mauritshuis.”

The Autumn Dinner, named by the New York Times as one of the “Most Memorable Parties of the Year” plays a unique role in the social landscape of the city. Here’s where you find the oldest New York families (including descendants of Frick) as well as the city’s new movers and shakers. This year’s black-tie event honors award-winning artist and writer Edmund de Waal for his contribution to the arts. De Waal’s memoir The Hare with Amber Eyes was the winner of the Costa Biography Award and the RSL Ondaatje Prize.

As always, the Frick draws top philanthropists to its cause: For Leadership:  Barbara and Brad Evans, Melinda Martin Sullivan and Paul R. C. Sullivan, Elaine and Donald Textor, Lisa and Jeff Volling, and Jennifer Wright  Benefactors and Patrons: Arnhold Foundation, Margot and Jerry Bogert, Barbara and Brad Evans, Elizabeth and Jean-Marie Eveillard, Mrs. Henry Clay Frick II, Larry Gagosian, Carolina Herrera, Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Horvitz, Sidney R. Knafel and Londa Weisman, Mr. and Mrs. Juan A. Sabater, Louisa Stude Sarofim, Aso O.Tavitian, and Elaine and Donald Textor

The Benefit Committee includes Peter and Sofia Blanchard, Ayesha Bulchandani, Leon and Toby Cooperman, Martin and Kathleen Feldstein, Barbara Fleischman, Lucy Flemming-McGrath, Marina Kellen French, Arthur L. Loeb, Mr. and Mrs. William Rayner, Dr. and Mrs. James S. Reibel, Barbara and John R. Robinson, Deborah and Chuck Royce, Mrs. Julio Mario Santo Domingo, Stephen and Christine Schwarzman, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley DeForest Scott, The Selz Foundation, F. Randall and Judith Smith, Michelle Smith, Tiffany & Co., and Barbara and Donald Tober.

Contribution: Chairman, Benefactor, and Patron tables Benefit Committee and Friend tickets–tables of ten at $100,000, $50,000, and $25,000 $5,000 and $2,500 per person. The Frick Autumn Dinner: Monday, October 17, 2016; :700pm cocktails, 8:00pm dinner. The Frick Collection, 1 East 70th Street, New York, New York 10021 Monday, October 17, 2016, For information about tickets: Special Events Office Telephone: (212)-991-5774 Email: Events@frick.org

Proceeds from the event will help support the full range of programs of The Frick Collection, including educational and curatorial initiatives, and the Frick Art Reference Library. Each year the dinner raises more than $1,000,000.