At the Whitney Art Party, Disco Decadence for a Cause

The Studio 54–themed fundraiser supported the New York City museum’s revered Independent Study Program

January 30, 2025

On the evening of January 28, the Whitney Museum of American Art transformed into a thumping nightclub to celebrate its annual Art Party. The disco-themed fundraiser directly benefits the New York City institution’s revered Independent Study Program.

The all-night affair was a glamorous occasion where a reveling group of young patrons, emerging artists, and tastemakers from the worlds of art, fashion, business, philanthropy, and entertainment descended on the museum to celebrate all things art. Partygoers gathered in the museum’s ground-floor Kenneth C. Griffin Hall for a riotous evening of dancing to DJ sets by The Muses and Jenny Albright, nibbling hors d’oeuvres by Olivier Cheng Catering, and perusing the current exhibitions, particularly the soon-to-close “Edges of Ailey,” the first large-scale museum show celebrating visionary choreographer Alvin Ailey’s life and legacy.

The 2025 Art Party at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Photo: Jason Lowrie/BFA.com

Throughout the evening, the dance floor was a hypnotic sea of champagne, sequins, and unbridled decadence à la Studio 54. But guests—among them bold-faced names like painter Salman Toor, photographer Quil Lemons, and fashion designer Cynthia Rowley—were also encouraged to traverse the Renzo Piano–designed building and take everything in. Maestro Dobel Tequila even set up portable bars in the museum’s elevators to keep the energy high.

The event raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds for the museum’s Independent Study Program, a leading postgraduate course of study in studio art, curatorial studies, and critical studies. Since being founded in 1968, the program has helped shape the sensibilities of numerous seminal art-world figures in the early stages of their careers, from Guggenheim Museum chief curator Naomi Beckwith to blue-chip artists Jenny Holzer, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, and Andrea Fraser. It’s headquartered in late pop artist Roy Liechtenstein’s former studio and residence in the West Village after his namesake foundation donated it to the museum following a lengthy restoration by Johnston Marklee.

Cynthia Rowley, Kit Keenan. Photo: Jason Lowrie/BFA.com

Steven Beltrani, Scott Rothkopf, Christine Sun Kim, Tabboo!, Micaela Erlanger, Alexander Hankin. Photo: Jason Lowrie/BFA.com

The evening was supported by co-chairs Steven Beltrani, Micaela Erlanger, Alexander Hankin, Christine Sun Kim, and Tabboo! Other notable guests in attendance included Wes Gordon, Olivia Palermo, JiaJia Fei, Griffin Maxwell Brooks, Andrew Tess, Na Kim, Mischa Barton, Pari Ehsan, Job Piston, Jessel Taank, and more.

See more photos from the event below.