Brit Gala? British Museum Hosts Met-Inspired Fundraising Ball
The British Museum’s first fundraising ball sold 800 tickets at £2,000 each to support vital projects amid UK government funding cuts for cultural institutions.
- On Saturday, the British Museum hosted its inaugural fundraising ball in London, billed as the city’s answer to New York’s Met Gala and aiming to celebrate London’s cultural status.
- Faced with shrinking subsidies, UK museums adopt US-style galas as the British Museum said the ball will raise vital funds for international projects, including the Bayeux Tapestry next year.
- About 800 private guests paid £2,000 each to attend, with Isha Ambani and Nicholas Cullinan co-chairing and a silent auction featuring Tracey Emin’s pet portrait and Coco Chanel's Paris apartment.
- Facing immediate pushback, the ball coincided with the London Film Festival and Frieze Art Fair while climate groups criticized the museum’s BP ties and use of the Duveen Gallery housing the disputed Parthenon Marbles.
- High-Profile guests including Mick Jagger, Janet Jackson, and Naomi Campbell underscored the event’s celebrity draw and social significance, while Helen Brocklebank praised its 'Met Gala ambition with UK uniqueness' in a positive reception.
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Brit Gala? British Museum hosts Met-inspired fundraising ball
Supermodel Naomi Campbell and rocker Mick Jagger were among the attendees at the British Museum's inaugural fundraising ball on Saturday, a glitzy event touted by some observers as London's answer to New York's Met Gala.
Brit Gala? British Museum Hosts Met-inspired Fundraising Ball
Supermodel Naomi Campbell and rocker Mick Jagger were among the attendees at the British Museum's inaugural fundraising ball on Saturday, a glitzy event touted by some observers as London's answer to New York's Met Gala.
The less ambitious, British-style version of the Met Gala in New York is being held to raise funds for the museum, in difficult economic times.
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