The Vero Beach Museum of Art’s 2025 Gala, A Moveable Feast, was a night that guests will not soon forget – toute la soirée était magnifique!
The French-themed fête began as close to 500 très élégant invitees strolled under twinkling lights along the Parisian streets of Montparnasse, sipping on cocktails and champagne while perusing the creative street markets, having their photos taken in front of La Tour Eiffel, and listening to the sounds of jaunty accordionist Jim Horzen.
Among the market stands, Peter and Karen Coveney had designed a Bouquiniste (bookseller stand) that would have looked quite at home along the Seine. They had printed hundreds of cards representing the cover of Ernest Hemingway’s novel “A Moveable Feast,” written in languages from all over the world.
“One more beautiful than the other,” said event chair Pat Thompson, who led a vast committee of volunteers.
Thompson had even enlisted the support of their son Andrew to pose as a French waiter last spring, and his image gave a unique flair to the invitation and menu. She credited Caroline Sanford of Ironside for creating all the “amazing visual materials.”
“We also enjoyed piping hot pommes frites cooked on the spot by Elizabeth Kennedy’s chefs,” said Thompson.
“Wendy and Dane Roberts of Noteworthy by Design manned their Patisserie Stand, and all the muffins and donuts were stuffed dolls with little legs, feet and eyes. So cute!”
Tanya McGuire, owner of A Pampered Life, exhibited lavender sachets and bouquets at her stand, La Vie en Lavande, representative of the lavender fields of Provence.
Other market stands presented a variety of wines from Bordeaux, assorted French delicacies and, of course, fabulous cheeses and charcuterie. Bereted artists Judy Burgarella and Pearl Lau brought their portable easels and created masterpieces on the spot, very much like les artistes célèbres de la rive gauche.
Once inside, guests dined family style on Provençal cuisine at one of two famed Parisian venues, where the charming décor reflected each restaurant’s flair. La Fontaine de Mars, renowned as a chic French bistro, featured “a cool ambiance and mellow music,” and Au Lapin Agile, one of the legendary city’s oldest cabarets, boasted music by Metropolitan Opera singers Sarah Nordin and Tyler Putnam.
Diners were surprised to find they were encouraged to sing for their supper, with Thompson leading them in rousing renditions of “That’s Amore” and “C’est si bon.”
“Probably needless to say, it was a mega hit. Everything – the theme, the art, the food, the family-style delivery of the dinner, the music and decorations – 472 people loved every minute,” said Thompson.
The French theme was inspired by the newest VBMA exhibition, French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950, which guests were given a first look at. The selection of exquisite works, on loan from the Brooklyn Museum’s collection of European art, is on display through June 22.
For more information, visit VBMuseum.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
