“Ciao WOW!” – Opulent Fundraising Event at the Leopold Museum

27.09.2018

On 5th September 2018 a lavish fundraising dinner was held to celebrate the finale of the Leopold Museum’s most-frequented exhibition to date visited by some 360,000 visitors.

Under the banner of “Ciao WOW! Glitter, Glamour, Diamonds”, funds for the arts and culture were raised on a grand scale. The event was oriented on the example set by the collector Heidi Goëss-Horten, who for the duration of the exhibition “WOW! The Heidi Horten Collection” (16th Feb. to 3rd Sept. 2018) sponsored free art education programs as well as free admission to the museum on Thursday evenings.

“I am delighted with the resounding success of this exhibition, which has caused quite a stir in the art world and has proven that Austria, too, has great collectors such as Heidi Goëss-Horten, who over the past decades has compiled a compelling collection of international stature. This is something we can be proud of,” comments the exhibition’s curator Agnes Husslein-Arco.

“The expectations evoked by the exhibition’s title “WOW!” were more than fulfilled. The presentation was among this year’s top cultural highlights not only on account of the high quality of exhibited artworks and the vast numbers of Austrian and international visitors but also in terms of the response it elicited from the media. With this exhibition, the Leopold Museum has once again proved itself to be a prime venue for art contemplation and education,” affirms the Leopold Museum’s Director Hans-Peter Wipplinger.

Owing to the great demand for and positive response to the free guided tours and workshops offered for the duration of the exhibition, the proceeds of the event will be used towards continuing to offer children and adolescents reduced access to the Leopold Museum’s varied art education programs.

Party with Picasso and charity auction 

The event hosted by the Leopold Museum’s Director Hans-Peter Wipplinger and the exhibition’s curator Agnes Husslein-Arco was attended by illustrious guests from the arts and business who were invited to experience one last “WOW!” moment in the presence of works by artists ranging from Gustav Klimt via Pablo Picasso to Damien Hirst. 

The cocktail reception was followed by an elegant dinner, before the event culminated in a charity auction put on by the Dorotheum. Bids were made for artworks by the Austrian artists Franz Graf, Martha Jungwirth, Anna Jermolaewa, Constantin Luser, Hubert Scheibl, Eva Schlegel and Walter Vopava, as well as for precious objects from the jewelers Heldwein, the manufacturers of silver Wiener Silber Manufactur and the top Swiss design brand Akris.

Among the renowned guests were the actor and Jedermann shooting star Philipp Hochmair, the photographer Hubertus Hohenlohe, singer Victoria Swarovski, business executive Klemens Hallmann and Barbara Meier, actress Maxi Blaha known for her role as Emilie Flöge, Lifeball organizer Gery Keszler, the artists Erwin Wurm, Xenia Hausner and Martha Jungwirth, the media managers Christoph and Eva Dichand, PR consultant Wolfgang Rosam, Sacher CEO Alexandra and Matthias Winkler, Barbara and Anton Heldwein, Dorotheum CEO Martin Böhm and Lucrezia Terzi, CEO of the Vienna tourist board Norbert Kettner, KÖNIG Alustahl CEO Peter König, BMW CEO Christoph von Tschirschnitz, PORR CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss, VW heir Stefan Piëch, Walter Scherb jun. of the Spitz dynasty, Hanno Soravia of Soravia Group, the entrepreneurs Franz Radatz, Fredi Riedl, Jacques Lemans, Francesca Schwarzenberg and many others.

Photos of the gala are available for download:

https://we.tl/t-UnSynNqTtw © Andreas Tischler

Information:
PR Heidi Horten Collection
Pia Sääf
0043 664 8454084
pia.saaf@hortencollection.com

Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung
Mag. Klaus Pokorny und Veronika Werkner, BA
Presse/Public Relations
0043 1 525 70 - 1507 bzw. 1541
presse@leopoldmuseum.org
www.leopoldmuseum.org

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