Social Safari  

By R. Couri Hay  

Gala’s Galore  

Neil Patrick Harris & God’s Love We Deliver, The Watermill Center,  Claire Danes @ The Whitney, Tory burch @ MoMA,  Marilyn Monroe @ Carlton Fine Arts & Karen LeFrak @ The Phil  

 God’s Love We Deliver’s Midsummer Night Drinks 

God’s Love We Deliver’s (GLWD) annual Midsummer Night Drinks has become one of the most beloved events of the Hamptons season. This year’s benefit will take place on Saturday, July 26, at the home of Neil Patrick Harris and his husband, David Burtka, a member of GLWD’s Culinary Council. Guests will enjoy performance art, lawn games, and whimsical surprises. All funds raised will be used to provide and deliver prepared food to people who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves. glwd.org   

Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center 

Isabella Rossellini and architect Francis Kéré will be honored at The Watermill Center’s Annual Summer Benefit on July 25 and 26, 2025. The extravagant event supports the organization’s year-round programming, including artist residencies, education initiatives, and public programs. The always-fun event will kick off with an Artist Dinner on Friday, July 25, followed by performances, exhibitions, a grazing dinner, and cocktails on Saturday, July 26. watermillcenter.org  

The Whitney Gala  

Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy, Andie MacDowell, Stephanie March, and “White Lotus” stars Leslie Bibb and Michelle Monaghan were among the celebrities at The Whitney Museum of American Art’s annual gala. The event honored acclaimed painter Amy Sherald, best known for her portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama. “When I first began painting portraits, I wasn’t trying to make history,” said Sherald, whose moving canvases document the contemporary African American experience in the United States. “I just wanted to offer images that looked like the world I came from—ordinary and extraordinary at the same time.” Leading the applause were Chairman of the Board and honoree Richard DeMartini; fellow board member and billionaire Neil Bluhm with his glamorous wife, Kimberly Paige Bluhm; Nicky Hilton Rothschild; Jeff Koons; Susan Hess; designer Wes Gordon; architect TC Chou; Laurie Tisch; and Tom Sachs with his wife, Sarah Hoover. Whitney curator Barbara Haskell was also honored. The well-heeled crowd sang along with Grammy Award–winning group TLC when they performed their hit single “Creep.” The museum, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary at its Meatpacking District location, raised a record-breaking $6 million. It was also announced that an additional gift of $1 million from songwriter Judy Hart Angelo would support the museum’s free admission program for visitors aged 25 and under.  whitney.org 

The Museum of Modern Art 

The Museum of Modern Art remains a beacon for the visionaries who helped shape it. Chief among them is Glenn Lowry, MoMA’s outgoing David Rockefeller Director, who will retire this year after an extraordinary 30-year tenure. The museum honored him at its recent Party in the Garden. Guests included MoMA President Sarah Arison; Chair Marie-Josée Kravis; Michael Bloomberg; Agnes Gund; Michael Ovitz; Jimmy Choo’s Tamara Mellon; Marina Abramović; and artists LaToya Ruby Frazier and Derrick Adams. This year’s benefit was sponsored by Tory Burch, who dressed several attendees, including art patron Sarah Hoover. The celebration was set against exhibitions by Jack Whitten, Otobong Nkanga, and Hilma af Klint. The party unfolded across the museum’s garden and lobby, with flattering and creative lighting by Bentley Meeker. Lowry took to the mic and said, “I never imagined this journey would last this long or be so rewarding.” moma.org 

An Ode to Marilyn @ Carlton Fine Arts 

Marilyn Monroe would have turned 99 years old this summer. The iconic bombshell’s co-stars included Jane Russell, Cary Grant, and Ginger Rogers. Images of Monroe continue to be the highest-selling celebrity portraits of all time. In 2022, Andy Warhol’s portrait titled Turquoise Marilyn sold for $195 million. Warhol once said, “As for whether it’s symbolic to paint Monroe in such vibrant colors: it’s beauty, and she’s beautiful, and if something’s beautiful it’s pretty colors, that’s all.” To celebrate the sex symbol’s life and legacy, Charles Saffati of Carlton Fine Arts is presenting An Ode to Marilyn, an exhibition featuring works by Warhol and fellow pop artists DeVon, Mr. Brainwash, Romero Britto, and Patrick Rubenstein. DeVon told me, “I see Marilyn Monroe as the quintessential emblem of Hollywood’s golden era. There’s something about Marilyn that echoes within all of us: a haunting blend of beauty and fragility, light and loneliness. For me, she is more than an icon—she is a thread that ties together personal memory, cultural myth, and the quiet ache of what might have been.” The exciting show, which runs until the end of June, is spread out over two floors and features 24 portraits of the star by ten artists. Saffati said, “Over the last 40 years, the images of Marilyn Monroe have consistently been our biggest seller, with numerous pop artists painting her in their own unique way.” carltonfa.com 

New York Philharmonic 

Bradley Cooper and Bill Pullman, who starred in “While You Were Sleeping” with Sandra Bullock, led the parade of VIPs to hear Broadway star Sutton Foster perform at the New York Philharmonic’s celebratory Gala. Conductor Michael Rafter made his debut and led the orchestra’s stirring rendition of Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide”. Foster sang “Till There Was You” by The Beatles, a wide range of American Songbook favorites, and selections from her hit show “Anything Goes”, enriched by heartfelt reflections on her career and motherhood. The night, which raised 1.8 million dollars, honored Marjorie and Gurnee Hart and celebrated his 50 years of service on the Phil’s Board of Directors. The Gala Co-Chairs were James and Margo Nederlander and Kristen and Alexander Klabin. Guests included Co-Chairman of the Phil, Oscar Tang, and Peter May, architect TC Chou, and top plastic surgeon Dr. Bianca Molina. nyphil.org 

                                                 Composer Karen LeFrak 

Grammy-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and composer Karen LeFrak have released “Romántico,” a new CD of world premiere recordings. LeFrak, the wife of real estate tycoon Richard LeFrak, has composed over two hundred pieces and released 17 albums that have received over 45 million streams since 2021. She has also had her works performed by orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. Her next work, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, has been commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and will be performed next year. The new CD is available on all platforms, including Spotify, Amazon, and at karenlefrak.com. 

Safari Roundup 

Foursome, a new Turkish restaurant, whose name references its four owners Haldun Kilit, Kaan Sekban, Tuba Demircioglu, and Oya Mungan, is serving up critically acclaimed Mediterranean fare at 9 Jones Street. The new hot spot, which features dishes including braised short rib and sumac-crusted salmon, is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Their rainbow-colored pancakes, celebrating Pride Month, have gone viral on Instagram ig: @foursome.nyc …. Anne Hathaway, Michael J. Fox, and Guiy Richie have all enjoyed the cuisine of Chef Evangelos Ktistakis who is now the executive chef of Gaia, new glam mediterran restaurant located at 42 West 35th Street. gaiarestaurant.com 

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