The Barnes Foundation Announces the Barnes Art Ball

2021 benefit event celebrating world premiere of Suzanne Valadon: Model, Painter, Rebel exhibition. Featuring special performance by jazz vocalist Laurin Talese

Friday, October 15, 7 pm

Philadelphia, PA, October 6, 2021—The Barnes Foundation has announced its annual benefit, the Barnes Art Ball, taking place on-site at the Barnes on Friday, October 15. Funds raised from the Barnes Art Ball directly support the Barnes’s educational mission and its dedication to caring for the collection, pursuing scholarly projects, presenting diverse exhibitions, and providing innovative programs for the community and its broad array of visitors.

This year, the Barnes Art Ball celebrates Suzanne Valadon: Model, Painter, Rebel, the first exhibition dedicated to the French artist and model Suzanne Valadon at a major US arts institution. Curated by Nancy Ireson, Deputy Director for Collections and Exhibitions & Gund Family Chief Curator, this show considers Valadon’s rich contribution to the early 20th-century art world. The first self-taught woman to exhibit at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, she challenged behavioral codes with her art and lifestyle, breaking new ground with her unapologetic portraits and nudes. The exhibition will be on view in the Barnes’s Roberts Gallery through January 9, 2022. Following this world premiere, it will travel to Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, in 2022, where it will also be the first of its kind in Scandinavia. Further information about the exhibition is available here.

“For this year’s Barnes Art Ball, we are thrilled to gather safely in person with our incredible community of patrons and supporters to celebrate Suzanne Valadon, a truly remarkable and underexplored artist,” says Nina Diefenbach, senior vice president, deputy director for advancement. “We are activating our expansive indoor and outdoor spaces, including the gardens and covered West Terrace, for a night of diverse and dynamic creative experiences inspired by Valadon’s incredible life and work. We are grateful to the Barnes Art Ball Trustee Chairs, Honorary Co-Chairs, and Committee for their incredible support of the Barnes’s educational mission. The dedication our supporters have shown the Barnes, especially over the past year and a half, is deeply meaningful and inspiring.”

Barnes Art Ball guests will enjoy after-hours access to Suzanne Valadon: Model, Painter, Rebel and the Barnes collection, a special performance by jazz vocalist and songwriter Laurin Talese, and a variety of special multimedia presentations and installations. Outdoors, guests will be greeted by “ambient aerial artistry” performances by talent from the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, inspired by Suzanne Valadon’s early years with the Cirque Molier.

The festive decor of the Barnes Art Ball is inspired by Suzanne Valadon’s groundbreaking, rebellious spirt. On view in the main lobby of the Lenfest Pavilion will be a floral installation by Jessica Mader of Society Blooms. Animating the Annenberg Court will be a film and photography installation—drawing inspiration from Suzanne Valadon’s practice of observing and painting herself in a truthful, unapologetic manner—by Roni Nicole Henderson-Day, a South Carolina–based filmmaker, photographer, and educator. The evening’s music will feature world beats by Deejays Oluwafemi and Aura. Guests will also enjoy catering by Constellation Culinary Group prepared by chef Anita Hirsch.

Those who prefer a more intimate experience are invited to celebrate the Barnes Art Ball at the Artful Champagne Brunch on Saturday, October 16, at 9 am.

For more information about the 2021 Barnes Art Ball, please visit the Barnes Foundation’s website.

BARNES ART BALL LEADERSHIP & COMMITTEE

Trustee Chairs
John J. Aglialoro
John R. Alchin
Sheldon M. Bonovitz, Esq.
Pamela D. Bundy
Cathy Hughes
John H. McFadden, Esq.
Aileen Roberts
Brenda A. Thompson, PhD

Honorary Co-Chairs
Laura T. Buck
Anne F. Hamilton
Leigh P. Middleton
Hilarie L. Morgan
Megan Maguire Nicoletti
Marsha R. Perelman
Lyn M. Ross
Adele K. Schaeffer
Robbi S. Toll
Regina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten

Co-Chairs
Christine Angelakis
Karen Dougherty Buchholz
Marianne N. Dean
Michelle Dubay
Julia and David Fleischner
Andrea and Bruce Freundlich
Deborah G. Hilzinger
Margie Honickman
Jeanne Ruddy and Victor Keen

Committee
Lauren and Andrew Addis, Andrea Alexanian, Sandy Annesley, Billie Bailkin, Barb and Richard Barnhart, Diane and Bob Bass, Chris and Wade Berrettini, Mariska K. Bogle, Judy Broudy, Julie Jensen Bryan, Amanda and Chip Burch, Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr., Lauren Eni Canseco, Joan P. Carter, Emily and Michael Cavanagh, Dunham Townend Churchill, Evelyn Cintron, Betsy Z. and Edward E. Cohen, Martha and Bill Cyphers, Kristin Detterline, Becca Diefenbach, Katy Donoghue, Marlene S. Dooner, Roberta Fine Dranoff, Barbara Eberlein and Jerry Wind, Tamala Edwards, Nina M. Eni, JoAnne A. Epps, James Fernberger and Mary Walto, Stacy and Bayard Fiechter, Katie Flaherty, Barbara F. Freed and Alan Mittelman, Annette Y. Friedland, Tuesday Gordon Gaines, Yasmina M. Giordano, Deborah E. Glass, Barbara and Jack Hafner, Sarah Roberts Hall, Alexander Mason Hankin, Beth C. Hare, James Harrison and Gareth Clark, Liesl Henderson and Jordan Mersky, Christine and George Henisee, Liza Devon Herzog, Michelle J. Hong, Angela V. B. Hudson, Rosalie L. Hunter, Melinda and Tac Justi, Amy and John Korman, Joseph Kotarski and Federico Mingozzi, Elizabeth G. Kuensell, Steven Lagos, Ellen Berman Lee, L. Marguerite Lenfest, Maribeth and Steven Lerner, Toby Lerner, Charisse R. Lillie and Thomas L. McGill, Jr., Liddy Lindsay, Sueyun Locks, Mary MacElree and David Hoffman, Michael E. Magnatta, Sandy and David Marshall, Thomas B. McCabe IV, Terra Moné, Hon. Gregory P. Montanaro, Cathy M. Nassau, Jeanette Lerman Neubauer, Georgiana and Eric Noll, Melissa Novak, Aleni Pappas, Janice Peck, Jill Powell, Jennifer Rice and Michael Forman, Anne and Bruce Robinson, Courtney Robinson, Eileen Rosenau, Marilyn C. Sanborne, Adrianne Sanogo, Nicole Dresnin Schaeffer, Pamela Schreiber, Rebecca Segall, Iris A. Shea, Lynn Shecter, Nancy and Benjamin Shein, Gail Mosler Singer, Donna and Jerry Slipakoff, Constance Smukler, Keith and Jim Straw, Maud and Brian Tierney, Helen Toomer and Eric Romano, Ezio Torres, Libby and George Trammell, Laura Vague, Waqas Wajahat, Gregory T. Walker, Debbie and Rick Ware, Penelope Watkins, Noele Wein, Kim Whetzel, Laurie M. Wightman, Dalila Wilson-Scott, Maria J. Wing, Lisa M. Witomski and James A. Scott, Randi Zemsky and Bob Lane, and Eliza Montgomery Zimmerman

ART BALL DONORS AND SPONSORS
Presenting Sponsors
Jeanette and Joe Neubauer
Aileen and Brian Roberts

Underwriting Sponsors
John Aglialoro and Joan Carter
John Alchin and Hal Marryatt
Christine and Michael Angelakis
Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz
Agnes Gund
Debbie and Kurt Hilzinger
Maguire Foundation
Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg

Event Sponsors
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Judith Broudy
Laura and Bill Buck
Betsy Z. and Edward E. Cohen
Comcast NBCUniversal
Connelly Foundation
James Fernberger and Mary Walto
Julia and David Fleischner
Barbara and Jack Hafner
Anne and Matt Hamilton
Christine and George Henisee
Marjorie and Jeffrey Honickman
Lisa Kabnick and John McFadden
Leigh and John Middleton
Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan
Morgan Stanley
Northern Trust
Marsha and Jeffrey Perelman
Jennifer Rice and Michael Forman
Lyn M. Ross
Adele K. Schaeffer
Katie and Tony Schaeffer
Robbi and Bruce Toll
Helene and Archie van Beuren

Supporters
The Alter Family Foundation
Ballard Spahr LLP
Julie Jensen Bryan and Robert Bryan
Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr.
Marianne Dean
Michelle and Eugene Dubay
Nina and Louis Eni
FREEMAN’S
Alta W. and N. Peter Hamilton
Liesel Henderson and Jordan Mersky
Justi Group Inc.
LAGOS
Ira M. Lubert and Pamela J. Estadt
Courtney Robinson
Jeanne Ruddy and Victor Keen
Donna and Jerry Slipakoff
Christine J. Smith
Constance L. Smukler
Lindy Snider and The Snider Foundation
Brenda A. and Larry D. Thompson
Maud and Brian Tierney
Team Whetzel/Kurfiss Sotheby’s
Dalila Wilson-Scott and Chris Scott

Special Thanks
Constellation Culinary Group

And the numerous individuals who purchased VIP and Patron level tickets.

As of September 15, 2021

EXHIBITION ORGANIZATION
This exhibition is organized by the Barnes Foundation and curated by Nancy Ireson, Deputy Director for Collections and Exhibitions & Gund Family Chief Curator.

SUPPORTERS
Major support for Suzanne Valadon: Model, Painter, Rebel has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

Additional support is provided by Comcast NBCUniversal, Denise Littlefield Sobel, and John Alchin and Hal Marryatt.

Ongoing support for exhibitions comes from the Christine and Michael Angelakis Exhibition Fund, the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Exhibition Fund, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and Aileen and Brian Roberts.

In addition, support for all exhibitions comes from contributors to the Barnes Foundation Exhibition Fund:

Joan Carter and John Aglialoro, Julia and David Fleischner, Leigh and John Middleton, Jeanette and Joe Neubauer

John Alchin and Hal Marryatt, Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, Lois and Julian Brodsky, N. Judith Broudy, Laura and Bill Buck, Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr., Eugene and Michelle Dubay, Penelope Harris, Christine and George Henisee, Jones & Wajahat Family, Lisa D. Kabnick and John H. McFadden, Marguerite Lenfest, Maribeth and Steven Lerner, Victoria McNeil Le Vine, Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation, Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan, The Park Family, The Rittenhouse Hotel, Adele K. Schaeffer, Katie and Tony Schaeffer, Dr. and Mrs. Eugene E. Stark, Joan F. Thalheimer, Bruce and Robbi Toll, van Beuren Charitable Foundation, Kirsten White, Anonymous.

ABOUT THE BARNES FOUNDATION
The Barnes Foundation is a nonprofit cultural and educational institution that shares its unparalleled art collection with the public, organizes special exhibitions, and presents programming that fosters new ways of thinking about human creativity. The Barnes collection is displayed in ensembles that integrate art and objects from across cultures and time periods, overturning traditional hierarchies and revealing universal elements of human expression. Home to one of the world’s finest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern paintings—including the largest groups of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne in existence—the Barnes brings together renowned canvases by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Vincent van Gogh, alongside African, Asian, ancient, and medieval art as well as metalwork, furniture, and decorative art.

The Barnes Foundation was established by Dr. Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to “promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture.” A visionary collector and pioneering educator, Dr. Barnes was also a fierce advocate for the civil rights of African Americans, women, and the economically marginalized. Committed to racial equality and social justice, he established a scholarship program to support young Black artists, writers, and musicians who wanted to further their education. Dr. Barnes was deeply interested in African American culture and became actively involved in the Harlem Renaissance, during which he collaborated with philosopher Alain Locke and Charles S. Johnson, the scholar and activist, to promote awareness of the artistic value of African art.

Since moving to Philadelphia in 2012, the Barnes Foundation has expanded its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice, teaching visual literacy in groundbreaking ways; investing in original scholarship relating to its collection; and enhancing accessibility throughout every facet of its program. Hours and ticket prices are listed on our website.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Deirdre Maher, Director of Communications
215.278.7160, press@barnesfoundation.org
Online press office: barnesfoundation.org/press