Defne Ayas, Francesca von Habsburg and Lorenzo Benedetti at the annual Benefit. Photography: Aad Hoogendoorn.
The annual Benefit Evening and auction jointly organized and hosted by Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art and de Appel arts centre took place on Thursday, 2 October 2014, on board of the SS Rotterdam, former flagship of the Holland-America line.
The evening featured a keynote speech by prominent philanthropist Francesca von Habsburg, founder and president of Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21, Vienna) and a performance by electro clash singer Peaches. Chaired by Jop Ubbens, Chairman and Auctioneer of Christie’s Amsterdam, the auction included 23 lots by artists, including Pierre Bismuth, Michael Dean, Joep van Lieshout, Isaac Julien, Falke Pisano, AA Bronson & Ryan Brewer, Mark Manders, Olaf Nicolai and Lee Kit.
Over 160 guests – collectors, art professionals, artists, and other benefactors – were present during the evening, supporting Witte de With and de Appel. Defne Ayas, Director of Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art remarked: “The evening marked the fourth edition of our joint efforts to encourage long-term investment in arts patronage in the Netherlands. It was an intimate evening with supporters of our institutions, highlighting both the significance for philanthropy and the cultural ecology that inspires it.”
Collaboration in 2015
Witte de With and de Appel have joined forces for on a number of projects since 2009 and will continue to do so for the next year, when both institutions celebrate their respective anniversaries, 25th anniversary of Witte de With and the 40th anniversary of de Appel. In addition to projects in financial sustainability such as the benefit evening & auction, both institutions collaborate on the Prize for Young Art Criticism and the crash course on contemporary art KUNST NU. The new date for the 2015 Benefit Evening is set for October 8, 2015.
Auction during the annual Benefit. Photography: Aad Hoogendoorn