Tribeca Ball 2017

Chairs Alain Bernard, Christina Di Donna, Brooke Shields and Naomi Watts will honor artist Will Cotton at the 22nd annual Tribeca Ball to benefit the New York Academy of Art. Presented by Van Cleef & Arpels, the Tribeca Ball will take place on Monday, April 3, 2017. The Ball showcases the emerging artists of the Academy, with proceeds supporting scholarships and public programming at the school.

Will Cotton, who trained at the Academy in the 1980s, is a tireless supporter of its mission, teaching Master Classes, serving as a Senior Critic and hosting his beloved artists’ drawing party every fall as a fundraiser for the Academy. The party, now in its 9th year, famously brings together dozens of major artists to sketch alongside each other for hours in a convivial evening, and in recent years has featured artists such as Nicole Eisenman, Kalup Linzy, Ryan McGinness, and Jon Kessler. Known for his surreal, candy-colored portraits, Cotton is represented by Mary Boone Gallery and has exhibited in major group and solo shows nationally and internationally, including at the National Portrait Gallery, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Triennale di Milano.

Inspired by Van Cleef & Arpels’ newest jewelry collection “L’Arche de Noé”, this year’s décor plunges guests into a magical menagerie, with six floors of whimsical animal-themed art installations and surprise musical performances. During cocktails, attendees will enjoy an insider’s view of one of the country’s leading art schools, with tours of more than 100 artists’ studios with the artists themselves present. The evening continues with a dinner honoring Will Cotton from Daniel Boulud and an afterparty at Tribeca hotspot Tutto il Giorno, hosted by Academy patrons Gabby Karan de Felice and Gianpaolo de Felice. The Junior Chairs for the evening are Andrea Franchini and Anna Page Nadin.

The 22nd annual Tribeca Ball will take place at 111 Franklin Street starting at 6pm with cocktails. Dinner begins at 8:30pm. To purchase tickets for cocktails at $300 or tickets for dinner at $1200, please visit www.tribecaball.com or call 212-842-5123. Additional support of Tribeca Ball is provided by Art Southampton, Champagne Jeeper, Paddle8, Proximo Spirits, and VOSS Artesian Water. The Tribeca Ball will be preceded by an online sale of works by Academy students, hosted on Paddle8. The sale begins on March 20 at Paddle8.com/auction/nyaatribecaball/