2026 WHITNEY GALA CELEBRATES ARTIST JULIE MEHRETU, BOARD CHAIR FERN KAYE TESSLER, AND FORMER DIRECTOR ADAM D. WEINBERG

New York, NY, May 20, 2026 — Last night, on Tuesday, May 19, the Whitney Museum of American Art hosted the 2026 Whitney Gala, which honored acclaimed artist Julie Mehretu, Whitney Board Chair Fern Kaye Tessler, and Director Emeritus Adam D. Weinberg. Led by a group of dedicated Trustees and Dinner Committee, the Whitney raised $6.3 million in support of the Museum’s mission of presenting groundbreaking exhibitions and award-winning education programs with some of the most innovative artists of our time. Proceeds help support all aspects of the Whitney, from esteemed exhibitions to new audience initiatives like the Museum’s Free 25 and Under, Free Friday Nights, and Free Second Sundays admissions programs. The expanded free admissions programs have transformed the Whitney’s audiences with one in three visitors coming to the Museum for free. With major support from Mehretu, the Free 25 and Under program has welcomed a younger, more diverse audience, tripling the number of visitors ages 19-25 since launching in December 2024.

Whitney Gala 2026
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The Whitney Gala is a celebrated cornerstone of New York’s arts and philanthropy calendar. The Gala kicked off at 6:30 pm with cocktails and mingling on the Museum’s eighth floor. At 7:30 pm, a seated dinner by Olivier Cheng Catering and Events took place in the Museum’s ground-floor lobby with a stunning design created by David Stark Design and Production. The presenting sponsor of the event, CADAR, outfitted honorees Fern Kaye Tessler and Julie Mehretu in bracelets, earrings, and necklaces from the CADAR Foundation Collection . LALO Tequila and Amante 1530 generously provided liquor for the evening’s festivities.

NOTABLE GUESTS: Whitney Gala Honorees Julie Mehretu, Fern Kaye Tessler, and Adam D. Weinberg; Actors Neil Patrick Harris, Stephanie March, Jenny Mollen; Artists Ann Craven, Jim Casebere, Teresita Fernandez, Derek Fordjour, Lyle Ashton Harris, Megan Hilty, Rashid Johnson, Jesse Krimes, Glenn Ligon, Zoe Leonard, Holly Lowen, Grace Rosario Perkins, Trevor Paglen, Adam Pendleton, Ilana Savdie, Dana Schutz, Lorna Simpson, Tabboo!, Richard Tuttle, Anna Weyant, TJ Wilcox, Fred Wilson, Anicka Yi; Designers and Stylists June Ambrose, Stacey Bendet, Wes Gordon; Media Personalities Nigel Barker, Bob Harper, Dorothy Wang; Make-up Artist Bobbi Brown; Musicians Aaron Dessner, Jewel; Writer Derek Blasberg; Museum Supporters Judy Hart Angelo, Paul Arnhold, Jill Bikoff, Neil Bluhm, Stewart Butterfield and Jen Rubio, David Cancel, Nancy and Steve Crown, Pamella Roland DeVos, Beth DeWoody, Kyle DeWoody, Fairfax Dorn, Marcia Dunn, Lise Evans, Katja Goldman, Bennett Goodman, Susan K. Hess, Robert Hurst and Soledad DeLeon Hurst, Gaurav Kapadia and Sonia Kapadia, Michael and Ronnie Kassan, Neal Katyal, Claudia Laviada, Cathy Ho Lee, Jonathan and Barbara Lee, Miyoung Lee, Stephanie March and Dan Benton, Rosemary and Hannah Rose McNeely, Brooke Garber Neidich, Julie and Doug Ostrover, Robert Rosenkranz, Anne-Cecilie and Rob Speyer, Laurie Tisch, Lenard Tessler, Greer Tessler and Travis Miranda, Thomas E. and Diane Tuft, Ku-Ling Yurman; Supporters of the Arts Sofia Cohen, Donna De Salvo, Marc Glimcher, Thelma Golden, Anne Pasternak, Antwaun Sargent; Whitney Curators Kim Conaty, Adrienne Edwards, Jennie Goldstein, Marcela Guerrero, Barbara Haskell, Chrissie Iles, Dan Nadel, Meg Onli, Christiane Paul, and Alice Pratt Brown Director of the Whitney Museum Scott Rothkopf.

Gala guests enjoyed cocktails courtesy of LALO Tequila and Amante 1530. During cocktail hour, the refreshing Amante Spritz was made with Amante 1530, Prosecco, Soda Water, and Lemon. Guests also sipped on margaritas made with LALO Tequila, blood orange, fresh lime, spice, agave, and thyme in the eighth-floor Studio Bar and in the Museum’s large Richard Artschwager-designed elevator. Following the cocktail hour, guests dined on a special menu of sweet & spicy bacon with a variety of grissini, The Nines potato with caviar, and filet of beef with morel mushroom, parsnip purée, and English peas, with an assortment of bite-sized sweets for dessert. Gala Co-Chair and Board President Anne-Cecilie Engell Speyer welcomed guests as they sat down for dinner. During dinner, Whitney Museum Director Scott Rothkopf gave welcome remarks and introduced Trustees Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo and Beth Rudin DeWoody to give a tribute to honoree Fern Kaye Tessler. Rothkopf then paid tribute to artist and honoree Julie Mehretu. Guests then enjoyed a video tribute to Director Emeritus Adam Weinberg, thanking him for his enduring dedication to the Museum. After dinner, Engell Speyer introduced two-time Grammy Award winner Shaggy, who treated guests to a live performance.

WHEN
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Whitney Gala Cocktails: 6:30 pm
Whitney Gala Dinner: 7:30 pm

WHERE
Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort Street
New York, NY 10014

GALA HONOREES
Julie Mehretu, Fern Kaye Tessler, Adam D. Weinberg

DINNER COMMITTEE
Paul Arnhold, Nancy Carrington Crown, Jenny Brorsen and Rich DeMartini, Pamella Roland DeVos, Katja Goldman, Susan K. Hess, Miyoung Lee, Bernard I. Lumpkin, Stephanie March, Brooke Garber Neidich, Nancy and Fred Poses, Alice J. Sareen, Anne-Cecilie Engell Speyer

2026 WHITNEY GALA BENEFIT COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS
Co-Chairs: Judy Hart Angelo, Paul Arnhold and Wes Gordon, Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen and Marian Goodman Gallery, Jena and Milton Berlinski, Jill and Darius Bikoff, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Neil G. Bluhm and Kimberly Paige Bluhm, Jenny Brorsen and Rich DeMartini, Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo, Nancy and Steve Crown, Daniel DeVos and Pamella Roland DeVos, Salvador Espinoza and Jonathan Rozoff, Mr. and Mrs. Victor F. Ganzi, Katja B. Goldman and Michael W. Sonnenfeldt, Meg and Bennett Goodman, Michael Hausen and Jordan Fudge, Susan and John Hess, Soledad and Bob Hurst, Sonia and Gaurav Kapadia, Ronnie and Michael Kassan, The KHR McNeely Family Foundation | Kevin and Rosemary McNeely, Miyoung Lee and Neil Simpkins, Stephanie March and Dan Benton, Brooke Garber Neidich and Daniel Neidich, Mike and Krista Nickols, Pace Gallery, Nancy and Fred Poses, Alice and Manu Sareen, Pete and Michelle Scantland, Anne-Cecilie and Rob Speyer, Fern and Lenard Tessler, Laurie M. Tisch, Diane and Tom Tuft

Benefactors: Hearst and Kim and Jon Shirley

Patrons: Leslie Bluhm and David Helfand, Stewart Butterfield and Jen Rubio, David Cancel, Beth Rudin DeWoody and The Rudin Family, Judy and Jamie Dimon, Fairfax Dorn, Marcia Dunn and Jonathan Sobel, Lise and Michael Evans, Sheree and Jerry Friedman, Larry Gagosian, Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles, and Gemini G.E.L. at Joni Moisant Weyl, New York, Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Arts Foundation, Neal Katyal and Joanna B. Rosen, Leonard and Terry Laufer Charitable Fund, Claudia Laviada and Carlos Rohm, Barbara and Jonathan Lee, Matthew Marks and Jack Bankowsky, Nancy and Howard Marks, Crystal McCrary and Raymond McGuire, Julie and Doug Ostrover, The Holly Peterson Foundation, The Rosenkranz Foundation, Chip and Burwell Schorr, Raphael Wertheimer, White Cube, Ku-Ling Yurman, Barbara and David Zalaznick, Anonymous

Supporters: Ann Ames, Debbie and Glenn August, Christopher Brody, Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker, Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, Cardinal Four Foundation, Alexandre and Lori Chemla, Elizabeth J. Christopher, Kyong and Brad Coleman, Paula Cooper Gallery, Laura and James DeMare, Douglaston Development, John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation, Bridgitt and Bruce R. Evans, Gina Feldman Love and Steven Feldman, Christy Ferer, Randi and Bob Fisher, Susan and Ed Forst, Barbara and Michael Gamson, Christopher Harland and Ashley Leeds, Stephanie and Tim Ingrassia, Karma, Tina Kim, Judy Glickman Lauder, Laura and Gary Lauder, William P. Lauder, Chad Leat, Dana Su Lee, Winston Lee and Cathy Ho Lee, Erin Leider-Pariser and Paul Pariser, Jeffrey and Andrea Lomasky, Holly and Todd Lowen, Bernard I. Lumpkin, Nancy Magoon, Catie Marron, Celeste and Anthony Meier, Michael Meldman, Miller Family Foundation, Jim Millstein, Gigi and Averell Mortimer, Diana Nelson and John Atwater, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Ales Ortuzar, Susanne and William E. Pritchard III, Tracey and Robert Pruzan, Kimberly and Scott Resnick, The Ressler Family Foundation, Rockford Cares, Jordan Roth and Richie Jackson, Jane Dresner Sadaka and Ned Sadaka, Susan Small Savitsky, The Marc Haas Foundation and Stanley S. Shuman, Jay Smith, David Solomon, Sayoko and David Teitelbaum, Steven H. Tishman, Gordon VeneKlasen, Amanda and John Waldron, Carol and Michael Weisman, James and Vivian Zelter, David Zwirner

Contributors: Marilou Aquino, Beth and Jack Curtin, Stuart Ellman, Stuart Freedman and Carla Craig, Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, Rachel and Drew Katz, Katz Foundation, Michelle and Alan Kaye, Julian Lethbridge, Leonard Littman, Linda and Andrew Safran, Mindy Schneider and Dr. Michael Lesser, Ian and Jessica Sigalow, Marilyn and Jeffrey Tabak, Cathy and Steven Tabak, Paul J. Taubman, Joshua Wesoky and Larissa Goldston, Anonymous

About the 2026 Gala Honorees

Honoree Julie Mehretu, born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1970, is a world-renowned painter who lives and works in New York City. She earned a BA from Kalamazoo College, studied at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, and received an MFA with honors from Rhode Island School of Design in 1997. Her painting, drawing, and printmaking practice is celebrated for its layered, energetic compositions that examine history, movement, space, and contemporary social experience. Mehretu has received major honors including the MacArthur Foundation Award, the Berlin Prize, the U.S. Department of State Medal of Arts, and in 2025 was named an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture. She was also included on Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in 2020, designed the twentieth BMW Art Car in 2024, and created Uprising of the Sun for the Obama Presidential Center. Major surveys of her work have been presented at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, High Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Walker Art Center, Palazzo Grassi, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Mehretu is a member of several leading academies and serves on the board of the Whitney Museum of American Art, while also supporting global arts and civic initiatives. In 2025, she contributed to the Whitney’s Free 25 and Under admission initiative, expanding access for young people to experience and engage with contemporary art.

Fern Kaye Tessler is a philanthropist, art collector, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Whitney Museum of American Art, where she has served since joining the Board in 2008. A deeply engaged leader for nearly two decades, she served as Board President from 2021 to 2025 and continues to play an active role across numerous committees and acquisition groups. Tessler has been a significant supporter of the Museum’s long-term growth, including contributions to its downtown building campaign and the renovation of the Lichtenstein Studio, home of the Whitney’s renowned Independent Study Program. Beyond the Whitney, she is an active civic leader involved with New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the Carl Schurz Park Conservancy, Temple Shaaray Tefila, and the Lupus Research Alliance. She previously worked in estate planning at Barry Kaye Associates until retiring in 2002.

Adam D. Weinberg, the cherished curator, writer, and museum leader who served as the Alice Pratt Brown Director of the Whitney Museum of American Art from 2003 to 2023, leading the institution through two decades of growth and transformation. He earned a BA from Brandeis University and an MFA from Visual Studies Workshop. Before returning to the Whitney, he held leadership and curatorial roles at the Addison Gallery of American Art, the American Center in Paris, and the Walker Art Center. Throughout his career, he curated major exhibitions featuring artists such as Edward Hopper, Isamu Noguchi, Alex Katz, Sol LeWitt, and Frank Stella, while also organizing public projects with figures including Yoko Ono and Lorna Simpson. Weinberg has served on the boards of numerous cultural institutions, including the American Academy in Rome, Storm King Art Center, and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. He has also held advisory roles with organizations such as the Archives of American Art and Harvard Art Museums. His many honors include honorary degrees from Colby College, Hamilton College, and Pratt Institute. In 2015, he was named an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in recognition of his contributions to the arts.

SPONSORS

Presenting Sponsor:

PRESS CONTACT

Hannah Gottlieb-Graham, President & Founder
ALMA Communications
hannah@almacommunications.co

ABOUT THE WHITNEY

The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Mrs. Whitney, an early and ardent supporter of modern American art, nurtured groundbreaking artists when audiences were still largely preoccupied with the Old Masters. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for ninety years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today.

Whitney Museum Land Acknowledgment
The Whitney is located in Lenapehoking, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape. The name Manhattan comes from their word Mannahatta, meaning “island of many hills.” The Museum’s current site is close to land that was a Lenape fishing and planting site called Sapponckanikan (“tobacco field”). The Whitney acknowledges the displacement of this region’s original inhabitants and the Lenape diaspora that exists today.

As a museum of American art in a city with vital and diverse communities of Indigenous people, the Whitney recognizes the historical exclusion of Indigenous artists from its collection and program. The Museum is committed to addressing these erasures and honoring the perspectives of Indigenous artists and communities as we work for a more equitable future. To read more about the Museum’s Land Acknowledgment, visit the Museum’s website.