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 Relations in Repair
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Looking north from Union Square. 3:50 PM. Photo: JH. |
10/19. Yesterday in New York: cold. Last night in New York, where the invitation called for Black Tie, belonged to the French, the Spanish, and of course, the Americans. The French-American Foundation held its annual gala last night at the Four Seasons restaurant.
The evening began with cocktails in the Grille Room of the now landmarked classic Philip Johnson-designed room for a gathering of more than 200, including many French. At eight we moved into the “Pool Room” for dinner.
Michael Patterson, Chairman of the French-American Foundation opened the evening, extolling and praising the world of the Foundation which is to strengthen the relationship of the two countries and to deepen understanding of French and American perspectives. Then Tenor Archie Worley led the guests in the singing of La Marseillaise, and then the playing of the European Anthem, followed by The Star Spangled Banner.
Americans have long been ambiguous or at least ambivalent about the French. How many times have you heard the French in Paris described in a negative way? Even the French knew it. Many years ago I had a French girlfriend (for a minute) from Paris. She told me: “With Parisiennes, they come first, God comes second.” It was from Nadine that I first learned the meaning of the im-po-see-bul. Impossible. Nevertheless, the idea is fixe, as the French would say. The business of the French American Foundation is to put that attitude away.
So it was not surprising that the room was full of French people or residents and American francophiles. This is a very low-key gala, as New York events go. The crowd is mainly highly culture, often well-educated with connections in politics and banking and the diplomatic corps. Former Ambassador Felix Rohatyn and his wife are regular attendees. Susan Gutfreund who keeps an apartment on the rue de Grenelle was there, as were David and Catharine Hamilton who created the American Friends of Versailles whose annual week long fetes in France promote French restoration and history, and Guy Robinson and Elizabeth Stribling of the French Heritage.
I was a guest of Kathy Sloane, the high profile New York private residential real estate broker whose husband Harvey was once Congressman from Kentucky and one time Mayor of Louisville. Also at our table were Judith and Samuel Pisar.
New York is like this and like nowhere else. You can be seated at dinner next to individuals who lead or have led remarkable lives.
The Pisars are members of that select group who are Famous to the Famous. Their base is in Paris although she is American and he has a Polish background. In 1945 Mr. Pisar, then a 16-year-old, was one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz where most of his family died. Today he is a distinguished international lawyer with a roster of clients, corporate, financial, celebrated or just plain wealthy. He’s also written about his life in an autobiography “Of Blood and Hope.”
Mr. Pisar deeply believes that unless the world expands its economic ties and human contacts, unless the world becomes at one as the modern civilization, we face a global Auschwitz – “a thermonuclear gas chamber.” Oddly, many would disagree. Outside of his platform he is a soft-spoken, friendly man with a quick wit.
His wife Judith is an art expert, connoisseur of music, and among other things, a lifelong close friend of Leonard Bernstein. This came up because it turned out the Pisars attended the Israel Philharmonic concert conducted by Gustavo Dudamel at Carnegie Hall the night before last. Mrs. Pisar compared the young maestro to Bernstein who, she reminded, began conducting professionally when he was in his twenties, creating a sensation.
Back to business. Nicholas Dungan, outgoing president of the Foundation presented the Vergennes Achievement Award to the Florence Gould Foundation. Mrs. Gould, born of French parents in San Francisco, lived most of her life in France and the United States. When she died in 1983, she left the bulk of her fortune to her foundation which promotes French-American relations.
Guy Wildenstein, the French/American fine art dealer, presented the Benjamin Franklin Award to Baron David de Rothschild, the French banker and son of the late Guy de Rothschild. Baron Rothschild was born in New York on December 15, 1942 when his parents were here, having escaped the Nazis occupying France. Today he runs the family bank now known as Group Rothschild which includes the English Rothschild bank and N.M. Rothschild, and is an extension of the family’s 200-year banking history.
Baron Rothschild was also mayor of a Normandy town called Pont L’Eveque where they also make the cheese of the same name. He mentioned this last night in his acceptance speech, pointing out that the cheese could seriously stink up a car if left there for more than an hour in warm weather. Much laughter.
The baron also talked about the current financial crisis in the world. He was very optimistic about the results that would be/should be/might be produced by the current “Bailouts.” He referred to this as the worse financial crisis of his lifetime but took heart in the recent Presidential election as well as the “bailout” program, believing that the new leadership would bring a more positive attitude, and that that would help the cause. He also said that for a very long time he didn't quite understand exactly what the risk-sharing instruments were which have brought on this crisis. He said that no matter whom he asked about it, no one seemed to quite know. He didn’t say so, but it might be true that many of those who didn’t understand what these instruments were a few months ago, still don’t understand what they are.
The baron spoke English with almost no accent. After the Awards, which were presented during the dessert course, the evening came to an end. Many people in the room moved to other tables to chat with friends while others began making their way out to get their coats.
To learn more, visit: www.frenchamerican.org. |
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| Catharine Hamilton and Susan Gutfreund |
French-American fashion |
Amir and Tas Dossal |
| Judith and Sam Pisar, Nicholas Dungan, and Janet Howard |
Max Abelson of the NY Observer and Kathy Sloane |
Meanwhile, at the same time last night, a few blocks over from the Four Seasons and up on Central Park at the Plaza, Under the Patronage of President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush, the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute New York was holding its Gold Medal Gala honoring H.E. The Duchess of Alba, Mercedes Bass, Jose Esteve and J. Pepi Fanjul.
Readers all know Mercedes Bass and Pepi Fanjul. But the Duchess of Alba while famous in Europe is not so familiar a name to Americans.
This is the 18th Duchess of Alba. If she had been born a man, she’d have been the 18th Duke of Alba. The duchess’ full name is: Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y Silva. She is the third female to carry the title.
She also has more titles than any other noble in the world including eight other ducal titles, 15 marquesal tittles, 19 comital titles and is 20 times a Grandee of Spain. Her most famous ancestor, the 13th Duchess was a subject of several portraits by Goya.
It should come as little surprise that the Duchess of Alba is very famous in Spain, and right up there with the royals in public perception.
Benefactors for last night’s gala were Sid Bass, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar de la Renta, the Esteve family, the Fanjul family and the Honorable Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat. |
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| Photographs by DPC/NYSD.com |
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