amfAR Hosts Dinner In Paris During Couture Week

Supporters gathered for a dinner and auction at the Petit Palais in Paris over the weekend in support of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.

amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost opened the evening by welcoming guests and thanking event sponsors Harry Winston, Moët Hennessy, and Renault for making the night possible, and also gave a special thanks to amfAR Global Fundraising Chairman Milutin Gatsby and Carine Roitfeld for their continued support of amfAR. Frost then introduced the evening’s performer, world-renowned singer-songwriter and former First Lady of France, Carla Bruni.

Carla Bruni gave a special performance for the exclusive guest list. The chanteuse sang Enjoy the Silence, a new song from her upcoming album French Touch, and a soulful rendition of The Rolling Stones’ Miss You.

Exclusive items featured in the live auction, conducted by event producer Andy Boose, included:

• A Jean Pigozzi photograph of Mick Jagger and Arnold Schwarzenegger taken in 1990 at the legendary Hôtel du Cap in Antibes.

• Andy Modeling in Vest, a 1983 Christopher Makos photograph of his friend and frequent portrait subject, Andy Warhol.

• A Gilles Bensimon photograph of Audrey Hepburn, shot for French Elle in 1988, from the last fashion shoot of her lifetime, which celebrated the legendary partnership between two icons: Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy.

• The exclusive Moët & Chandon MCIII Wine Cellar, the only one of its kind in the world, featuring 23 magnum bottles of MCIII wine housed in a specially handcrafted cellar.

• A photograph of David Bowie, taken in 1974 as a publicity shot for the LP Diamond Dogs, by one of the world’s most accomplished and collected photographers Terry O’Neill.

• A luxurious vacation at the legendary Maldives resort of Huvafen Fushi.

• An opportunity to meet Leonardo DiCaprio at his Foundation’s St. Tropez Gala.

• A Paris Haute Couture Week package, including tickets to the Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Ulyana Sergeenko, Valentino and Chanel shows, as well as a Jean Paul Gaultier-designed “Moulin Rouge” haute couture dress and a four-night stay in a suite at Le Bristol Hotel.

• A one-week trip aboard the magnificent yacht Bliss.

• An opportunity to attend the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s first major fundraising gala in the heart of Monte Carlo, including a meet and greet with His Serene Highness, to benefit its initiatives to support sustainable oceans worldwide.

The evening also marked the Paris launch of amfAR’s new fragrance, Gala by amfAR. Available as both a women’s perfume and a men’s cologne, Gala by amfAR was conceived as a tribute to the Foundation’s Founding International Chairman, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, the first celebrity to have her own line of fragrances. The Paris debut of Gala by amfAR coincides with the 30th anniversary of the launch of Dame Elizabeth’s first perfume, Passion. Proceeds from the sale of Gala by amfAR will support amfAR’s efforts to achieve one of the greatest scientific and humanitarian goals of our time – a cure for HIV.

Harry Winston was the event’s Presenting Sponsor. Moët Hennessy and Renault were the event’s Signature Sponsors. Delta Air Lines is the Official Airline of amfAR.