The Barnes Foundation’s annual benefit, the Barnes Art Ball, took place on Friday, October 20, 2023. This year’s Art Ball brought together artists, philanthropists, collectors, and connectors for an art-filled celebration of the Barnes and creativity in myriad forms. Funds raised directly support the Barnes’s educational mission and its commitment to caring for the collection, presenting diverse exhibitions, and providing innovative programs for the community. This year’s Art Ball also celebrates the opening of Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris, the first major US exhibition dedicated to French artist Marie Laurencin in more than 30 years. On view in the Roberts Gallery and co-curated by Simonetta Fraquelli and Cindy Kang, the exhibition explores Laurencin’s career, from her self-portraits to her collaborative decorative projects; and from her early cubist paintings to her signature works, which were feminine and discreetly queer. One of the most successful women artists of her time, Laurencin developed a unique aesthetic that defined 1920s Paris. Her contributions to 20th-century art are underrecognized, and this exhibition provokes questions about representation and access throughout art history. 

The following pics are a pictorial of the event

1. Dr. Nick Weaver, Nicole Marshall, Joan O’Shea, Aani Desai, Haila Desai, a friend, Sue Desai, Kathryne Weaver and Stephen Marshall paused for a photo at the start of the event

2. Marlene and Brian Dooner and Ellen and Ron Caplan

3. Steve and Maribeth Lerner and Juanita and Neil Hartbarger

4. Kristie and Steven Lagos. LAGOS was an event sponsor

3. Barbara Eberlein, Jerry Wind and Lynn and Howard Shecter

4. Jana Challenger, Drs. Kathy and Nick Weaver and Dr. Joan O’Shea

5. Karl Fong and Neal Krouse, supporting The Phillies!

6. Miles and Callie Mattson

7. Dan and Lauren Kain and Julie Jensen Bryan and Robert Bryan

8. Ilana Dean. Louis Marion, Jen Su and Jennifer Lynn Robinson

9. Whitney Kalmbach, Elyse Dunster, Michelle Sbrocchi, Joseph Korarski and Shanna Henry

10. Michele Barrett, Don Thomas,  Barb Hafner, Matt Wetzel, and Jana Challenger

11. Robin Halpern, Katie Adams Schaeffer and Jamie Harris

12. Jim Trichon, Stephanie Stahl and Judy and Leonard Lundy

13. Jenny Campbell, Alice Donavin Day and Sarah Marshall

14. Meg Saligman, Bill Adair, Hilary Jay, Bill Valerio and Glen Sacks had fun at the ball!

15. Jen Su, Elizabeth Convery, Stella Ludwig and Jennifer Lynn Robinson. 

16. Chairman and Director of Fine Art at Freeman’s Auction House and Antiques Roadshow regular, Alasdair Nichols and his wife Susanne Ritt, attended the Barnes Art Ball.

17. John and Dunham Churchill, George McNeely, Nina Diefenbach and Billy O’Connor

18. Christie and Steven Lagos and Irene Schnabel

19. Jerry Wind, Barbara Eberlein and Kurt and Debbie Hilzinger

20. Sueyun Locks and Noele Wein

21. Momin Sheikh, Samantha Engler and A.J. DiVelario