“The ultimate healer is community,” Sophie Hawley- Weld of music duo Sofi Tukker told The Knockturnal at this year’s amfAR Gala. A life-saving community gathered at Cipriani Wall Street on Wednesday night to celebrate the 22ndAnnual amfAR Gala, and to honor model and businesswoman Iman, Pace Gallery President and CEO Marc Glimcher, and award-winning playwright Matthew Lopez for their commitment to the fight against AIDS.
Edward Enninful and Iman attend the 2020 amfAR New York Gala on February 05, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Ryan Emberley/amfAR/Getty Images)
Alluding to New York City’s first outbreaks of HIV/AIDS, Marc Glimcher stated during his speech “it was impossible not to be aware of the impact that AIDS had on our creative community and be profoundly shaken by it,” He encouraged guests to continue their support for amfAR, as “artists and scientists allow us to change how we see the world.”
The evening began with a red carpet and reception, followed by dinner, speeches, and an auction led by Alexander Gilkes. Some highlights of the auction included Rico, an oil on linen painting by Alex Katz, sold for $500,000, Untitled (Landscape), an oil, wax, and resin work on canvas by Julian Schnabel, sold for $210,000, and diamond, emerald, and white gold earrings by Merry Belle, the jeweler who was the event’s signature sponsor.
Marc Glimcher speaks onstage at the 2020 amfAR New York Gala at Cipriani Wall Street on February 05, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/amfAR/WireImage,)
Lively performances by Sofi Tukker and Charlie Puth entertained the night’s many notable guests, some of whom were Heidi Klum, Padma Lakshmi, Coco Rocha, Diplo, Sydney Sweeney, and more. Anna Wintour and Edward Enninful were presenters at the Gala, which had Mandarin Oriental its Associate Sponsor and was produced by Andrew Boose/ AAB Productions.
Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern of Sofi Tukker perform onstage during the 2020 amfAR New York Gala at Cipriani Wall Street on February 05, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/amfAR/Getty Images)
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and advocacy. Since 1985, amfAR has invested more than $550 million in its programs and has awarded more than 3,300 grants to research teams worldwide. The 22ndAnnual amfAR Gala raised over $1.4 million for amfAR’s life-saving research programs.
