SFMOMA Sells an Ellsworth Kelly at Their Modern Ball
SFMOMA Sells an Ellsworth Kelly at Their Modern Ball
On Wednesday night, Ellsworth Kelly’s Red-Orange Relief sold for $2.5 million during an auction at the SFMOMA’s Modern Ball. It didn’t go to any of the tech or philanthropy titans in the room, including Google’s Sergey Brin, Twitter cofounder Evan Williams, Instagram cofounders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Marissa Mayer, or Everlane CEO Michael Preysman. Instead it was won by an anonymous phone bid. What two members of the local crowd did score, for $200,000 each, was the other lot: dinner for 26 guests prepared by Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn and served on architecture studio Lanza Atelier’s Mesa Nómada (Steps Table). Now that’s going to be a dinner party.
The museum’s benefit felt like a warm gathering of longtime friends, all in a space that had been transformed into a field of Marimekko-esque poppies inspired by Finnish textile designer Maija Isola. After guests nibbled on spring vegetables and grilled filet mignon, they ventured to the upper floors for more cocktails and, later, a performance by Little Dragon.
