The annual Guggenheim International gala returned to the rotunda Wednesday night, sponsored for the ninth year by Dior.
The evening recognized four women artists: Etel Adnan, Jennie C. Jones, Cecilia Vicuña and Gillian Wearing (Jones and Vicuña were in attendance, while Weaving is based in London; Adnan sadly passed away over the weekend, at age 96). Additionally, outgoing chair emeritus of the board of trustees Bill Mack and his wife Phyllis Mack were honored for their 16 years of work with the museum.
The usually A-list affair was a more quiet evening this year, with the crowd comprised more of benefactors and board members than celebrities. Still, Maya Hawke, Jurnee Smollett, Kat Graham, Glen Powell, Mickalene Thomas, Racquel Chevremont, Camila Coelho and others turned out in their Dior finest at the museum, for an evening that allowed the opportunity to explore the current exhibitions, learn about the museum’s latest and experience an intimate acoustic set by Lorde.
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The years of “2018-20 was a period that was very tumultuous for us and for many other cultural institutions. I think we learned quite a lot and we learned particularly how crucial it is that the museum open its doors more widely,” said Richard Armstrong, the museum’s director. “And from that we have a new notion for what our program should be and also our acquisitions.”
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“Frank Lloyd Wright said that he intended this building to be a temple for the spirit, and we do know that a temple is nothing unless the spirits can gather in it,” Naomi Beckwith, the museum’s new chief curator, told the crowd. “So it’s so important for me, as I start my journey here in the Guggenheim, to embrace all the spirits here tonight.”
Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pietro Beccari were unable to attend the evening, though Beccari chimed in via video to share well wishes for the night.
After the main course, Lorde, dressed in a gold shiny Dior suit trailed by four band members dressed in white, walked through the audience carrying a large black trash bag. One song into her set, she dumped the contents — clementine oranges — onto the piano and stage floor. While performing “Buzzcut Season,” she slowly peeled an orange, the rind dropping to the floor.
“This is so cool,” she told the crowd, gazing up at the space. “We were in our houses for a year and a half. And now we’re in the Guggenheim.”