The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF),
America’s Leading French Cultural Center,
Holds Annual Gala in Celebration of Cross-Cultural Understanding
Monday, November 2nd, 2009 - 7 pm –
The Plaza, Central Park South and Fifth Avenue
More information:
Jean-Christian AGID, Phone : (917) 349-8361
Alexis BUISSON, Phone : (347) 585-0324
Email : fiafgala2009@
(New York, NY, October 5th, 2009) – Acclaimed French actress Isabelle HUPPERT will present the 2009 FIAF Trophée des Arts to theater and visual artist Robert WILSON at The Plaza in New York, on Monday, November 2nd. The Trophée des Arts Gala will also award the Pilier d’Or to Chairman, President, and CEO of Wyeth, Bernard POUSSOT.
This black-tie benefit is hosted by co-chairmen Alain Coblence and Lorenzo D. Weisman and vice-chairman David Braunschvig to raise funds to support FIAF's educational and cultural programs. Other hosts and guests include Isabella Rossellini, Rufus Wainwright and the Junior Committee co-chairs Christine Cachot, Muffy Flouret, Zina El Gheribi-Schmitz, Nathalie Kaplan, Marie-Noëlle Pierce, and Clemence von Mueffling..
Robert WILSON, TROPHEE DES ARTS 2009
FIAF's Trophée des Arts acknowledges Wilson’s exceptional career which has been appreciated in France especially. His groundbreaking work has been presented in every major institution in Paris, and in 2003, he was named “Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres” by the French Minister of Culture.
“I am much honored to receive this award,” Wilson says. “France -and Paris in particular- have been an artistic home to me. I have presented over 35 works in Paris since Deafman Glance in 1971. No other city, no other country knows my work better.”
Isabelle Huppert (Trophée des Arts 2003), who will be on stage at BAM in November to perform in Quartett, a production of Wilson based on German playwright Heiner Müller's adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Laclos), will present the award.
The Trophée des Arts was created in 1992 and has since been bestowed upon French and American artists and cultural icons, including Christian Lacroix, Quincy Jones, Lauren Bacall, Louis Malle, Isabelle Huppert, Charlie Rose, Philippe de Montebello, and James Ivory.
BERNARD POUSSOT, PILIER D’OR 2009
FIAF will also present Bernard Poussot, Chairman, President, and CEO of biopharmaceutical company Wyeth with the Pilier d’Or.
“Along with Robert Wilson, FIAF is also very proud to honor the highly successful career of Bernard Poussot,” explains Marie-Monique Steckel, President of FIAF. “Bernard Poussot has exemplified the American dream and has brought France and the United States even closer.”
Bernard Poussot is one of the strategic masterminds behind the largest merger operation in the United States in 2009 between Wyeth and Pfizer. Poussot sits on the board of the Eisenhower Fellowship and the World Affairs Council; he was awarded the French Legion of Honor by President Jacques Chirac.
The Pilier d’Or recognizes a leading business figure, diplomat or philanthropist for outstanding contributions to the French-American Community. Former honorees include Jean-Bernard Lévy (Vivendi) and Pierre Bellon (Sodexo).
ABOUT FIAF
Founded in 1898, the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) is the leading French language and cultural center in the United States. Its mission is to be the innovative cultural and educational destination for New Yorkers eager to explore the diversity of French cultures.
FIAF presents a wide range of sophisticated programming in both French and English, offering films, lectures, art exhibitions, and live performances of music, theater, dance, and more throughout the year in the FIAF Gallery, Florence Gould Hall, Le Skyroom, and Tinker Auditorium.
Each fall, the inter-disciplinary contemporary arts festival Crossing the Line presents boundary-breaking works by artists who are transforming cultural practices on both sides of the Atlantic. The spring brings World Nomads, a festival dedicated to exploring the exchange of ideas, artistic expression, and style throughout the Francophone world.
FIAF’s historic building, recently renovated and decorated by the well known theater set designer Richard Peduzzi, is a fully active educational and cultural New York institution. The Haskell Library, designed by renowned architect Michael Graves, houses the most comprehensive collection of French works in the United States. The Language Center, with 6,000 students, is also the largest in the country and offers instruction in French at all levels.
TICKETS
To purchase tickets, contact Isabelle Lefebvre-Vary at : +1 646 388 6604 or ilefebvrevary@
Proceeds will benefit FIAF’s world-class educational and cultural programs.
More information:
Alexis BUISSON, Phone : (347) 585-0324
Email : fiafgala2009@
