In just three years the Guggenheim International Gala has become one of New York’s most successful and admired benefit events, and the 2007 gala raised a record-breaking $4.4 million for the museum’s exhibition and education programs. Over 500 guests attended the November 8, 2007, event at Pier 40. Event designer David Monn transformed the space by swathing the industrial piping and concrete pillars in folds of cardboard, and plates of food prepared by Le Cirque chefs rested on recycled card mats and cardboard tables. Monn’s design—inspired by one of the 2007 honorees, Frank Gehry—caught the attention of Martha Stewart, who made the Gala the subject of a segment on her show Martha. The 2007 Gala also honored Jenny Holzer, Anish Kapoor, Catherine Opie, Richard Prince, and Tom Sachs, artists with whom the Guggenheim Foundation has been closely involved in the past year.

Atmosphere at the Guggenheim International Gala, November 8, 2007. Photo: Chance Yeh/Patrick McMullan