photography in all its forms

Aperture’s annual Benefit and Auction, held at the elegant and chic Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers on Monday, November 2, was a smashing success. This year, Aperture honored three key players in the fine art photography community: photographer Joel Meyerowitz, gallery owner Howard Greenberg, and trustee Susana Torruella Leval.

The gala was packed with artists, gallerists, curators, collectors, art patrons, and philanthropists, and all appeared to have a fabulous time. One guest, Aperture trustee Alan Stoga, commented, “I wish we could bottle the vibe!”

The event featured Aperture’s largest auction ever, with a total of seventy items in the silent and live auctions, including prints by Diane Arbus and Ruud van Empel, along with a special pet portrait commission by Elliott Erwitt. Denise Bethel, Senior Vice President and Director of Photographs at Sotheby’s, did her usual terrific job as auctioneer for the two-part live auction.

Many dinner guests commented on the fabulous food and atmosphere, and each took home a copy of Joel Meyerowitz’s latest book, Legacy: The Preservation of Wilderness in New York City Parks (Aperture, 2009), in their goodie bag.

The event was sponsored in part by Polaroid, and during the cocktail hour, models took pictures of guests with the new Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera, presenting the photographs as gifts. PoGo cameras were also placed on every table during the awards, and many Aperture photographers had fun taking snapshots of guests.

This year’s event raised $500,000 to support Aperture’s publications, exhibitions, and humanities programs. Aperture would like to thank our friends and supporters within the community for their tremendous outpouring of support.