PHOTO: Inside the 2026 Whitney Gala

Shaggy and Fern Tessler. Jason Lowrie/BFA.com

A sultry dusk lit up the sky over the Whitney Museum of American Art on Tuesday (May 19) as a vibrant mix of artists and industry insiders gathered for the 2026 Whitney Gala. A cornerstone of New York’s arts and philanthropy calendar, this year’s fundraising gala honored the contemporary visual artist Juli MehretuWhitney board chair Fern Kaye Tessler and former director of the Whitney Adam Weinberg.

Mehretu recalled how exhibitions like “Black Male” at the Whitney inspired him when he first moved to New York. “It’s important that institutions find ways to survive and continue to find ways to support artists,” she told the Observer, noting that “there’s a lot more audience to reach” and “more access to be made.” She added, “It’s part of how we develop and change the culture.”

Before dinner, the guests entered the spacious space Richard Artschwager-Designed elevator, where a bartender waited behind an open bar and served drinks as they ascended to the eighth floor for cocktail hour. Waiters wandered through the crowd and around wooden arrangements of kousa dogs inside the skylit space, offering parmesan truffle puffs, spicy hamachi mini tacos. Notable attendees mingling over hors d’oeuvres included actors Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka AND Stephanie March; the artists Ann Craven, Teresita Fernandez, Derek Fordjour, Rashid Johnson, Fred Wilson, Lorna Simpson, Anna Weyant, Anicka Yi AND Jim Casebere; planner Stacey Bendet, Wes Gordon AND June Ambrose; and singer-songwriter jewel.

Renata Assis, David Cancel and Amanda Cirello on the dance floor. Carl Timpone/BFA.com

Despite the blistering 90-degree heat of New York’s early summer, guests couldn’t help but admire the views from the terrace as the sun set over the Hudson. This included fashion photographer and television personality Nigel Barker and his wife, Kristen Barker. “I’m literally a neighbor of Whitney’s – I’ve lived two blocks away for years,” said Nigel Barker. “The space itself gives artists the opportunity to express themselves in ways that other museums don’t, and their kind of modern art for how they give people a voice is brilliant. We were just down there looking BIENNALEand it is controversial; it’s in your face; it’s not always pretty, but it shows that it has a voice and it gives artists a voice.”

Eventually, the mesmerizing crowd gathered back in the museum lobby for the evening’s main event, where rows of candlelit tables were adorned with yellow flower centerpieces. After passionate remarks from the honorees — and $6.3 million raised in support of the museum — guests were treated to a surprise performance by the reggae musician Shaggysparking an impromptu dance party that lasted late into the night.