LongHouse Reserve To Host White Night Benefit Gala

East Hampton’s LongHouse Reserve museum and garden will host its annual summer benefit gala on Saturday, July 20 2013. The gala, entitled “White Night,” will be held in honor of sculptor Ai Weiwei, architect Richard Meier, and the late Lisa de Kooning, the daughter of famed East Hampton painter Willem de Kooning. Founder of the LongHouse Jack Lenor Larsen and the Board of Trustees will welcome artists and art enthusiasts for a night that will include music, cocktails, dinner, silent and live auctions, and art exhibitions.

The event will feature a preview of Ai Weiwei’s exhibit Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold in anticipation of its official opening at the LongHouse on August 2. The internationally acclaimed Chinese contemporary artist and political activist will be unable to attend as he is confined within the borders of China by the Communist Party, but he will make a special video appearance. American artist Alice Aycock will also premier her sculpture Maelstrom, which is set to be displayed in Park Avenue in 2014.

The musical entertainment of the night will consist of saxophonist Dickie Laundry, Iranian singer and composer Sussan Deyhim, live music from the Bridgehampton School Marimba Band, and a dance performance by Elisa Monte Dance.

The night will conclude with a live auction conducted by CK Swett. Items available include works from Alice Aycock, April Gornik, Yoan Capote, Rembrandt, and many others. Guests will also have the opportunity to bid on trips to the Cayman Islands, Morocco, Venice, and Buenos Aires.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. and the gala and wardrobe will be white-themed as an homage to Richard Meier’s trademark minimalist style.

Tickets can be purchased online at longhouse.org.