2019 Esther B. O'Keeffe Speaker Series

WINTER / SPRING 2019

ESTHER B. O’KEEFFE SPEAKER SERIES

WALTER ISAACSON | JOE MACINNIS | DAVID BROOKS | ANDREW ROBERTS | BEN STEIN ERIC MOTLEY

|

JONAH GOLDBERG

MARY MATALIN & JAMES CARVILLE |

RICHARD RUSSO

|

|

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER

HENRY KISSINGER

|

MARLENE STRAUSS

About The Esther B. O’Keeffe Speaker Series features notable speakers from the fields of politics, culture and the media. Lectures take place January through March on Tuesdays at 3 p.m. Signed copies of the speaker’s books are available in the O’Keeffe Gallery Building following the lecture.

History The Society of the Four Arts was founded in 1936 with a mission of providing the best cultural programs to the Palm Beach community. Part of the diverse programming included guest lecturers, and through the years these programs evolved into a prestigious speaker series.

In 1995 a significant gift was presented to The Society of the Four Arts by Dr. and Mrs. Arthur O’Keeffe. In recognition, the building in which the gallery and auditorium are located was named the Esther B. O’Keeffe Gallery Building in honor of Dr. O’Keeffe’s late wife. The O’Keeffe family’s generosity continued in 1999, when they established a sizable endowment to create and sustain the “Esther B. O’Keeffe Speaker Series.”

Thanks to their interest and support, the Four Arts is able to bring world-class speakers to share important ideas with our audience.

Dr. and Mrs. Arthur O’Keeffe Dr. O’Keeffe was an accomplished surgeon and philanthropist. The Esther B. O’Keeffe Charitable Foundation supports health and medical research causes, along with many arts and cultural programs.

The Memorial Lectures We are grateful to the following families for their vision and leadership.

The Harold and Helen Bernstein Memorial Lecture Harold and Helen Bernstein were passionate philanthropists known for their generous support of many charitable causes, especially the arts. Beyond their financial support, Mr. and Mrs. Bernstein also gave their time and experience by serving on countless boards and committees, advocating for the causes close to their hearts. They eagerly attended lectures and other events at the Four Arts. After Harold’s death in 2004, Helen established the biennial Bernstein Memorial Lecture in his memory. Continuing the tradition of charitable support, the Bernstein family later renamed the lecture the “Harold and Helen Bernstein Memorial Lecture” after Helen’s passing in 2014.

The John R. Donnell Memorial Lecture The John R. Donnell Memorial Lecture was established in 2001 by long-time Four Arts trustee Maureen Donnell, in memory of her late husband. John Donnell was a great supporter of the arts and a member of the Four Arts board of trustees. He was a graduate and trustee of Case Western Reserve University and a graduate of Harvard Business School. He was president of international relations and a senior vice president at the Marathon Oil Company. Mr. Donnell served 25 years as president and chairman of the First National Bank of Findlay, Ohio. He was a board member of the Boy Scouts of America and the World Boy Scout Foundation.

The Esther Elson Memorial Lecture Mrs. Susie Elson is chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Ambassador Edward Elson is a former vice chairman of the board; both have a long history of service and generosity to the Four Arts. Ambassador and Mrs. Elson created the memorial lecture in 2005 to honor Ambassador Elson’s mother Esther, who was a gifted and exhibited artist, and a long-time member of the Four Arts. Each year a speaker is selected from the arts, and past speakers have included Twyla Tharp, Itzhak Perlman, Renee Fleming and actor Jim Carter from “Downton Abbey.”

The Walter S. Gubelmann Memorial Lecture Walter S. Gubelmann was president of the board of trustees of The Society of the Four Arts for 25 years.

Two memorials mark his contributions. First, funds were raised to establish the Walter S. Gubelmann Memorial Lecture each year, in honor of the former president’s many years as chairman of the lecture committee. Two years after his death in 1988, the “Silver King” by sculptor D.H.S. Wehle was installed in the fountain at the entrance to the O’Keeffe Gallery Building.

The Samuel J. Heyman Memorial Lecture Samuel J. Heyman was educated at the Wooster School, Yale College and Harvard Law School. After government service as the Chief Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, his business career began as a real estate developer in 1969. In 1982 he took over the board of GAF Corporation, today the largest manufacturer of residential roofing in the United States. Mr. Heyman was widely known for his philanthropy and interest in improving the quality of Federal Public Service. In 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Mr. Heyman the Presidential Citizens Medal at the White House for his contributions. The Samuel J. Heyman Memorial Lecture was established in 2017 by Ronnie Heyman in honor of her husband.

Walter Isaacson Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at 3 p.m.

Photo: Tomas Krist courtesy of The Aspen Institute

“The Creativity of Leonardo da Vinci” The Walter S. Gubelmann Memorial Lecture Walter Isaacson is a Professor of History at Tulane and an advisory partner at Perella Weinberg, a financial services firm based in New York City. He is the past CEO of the Aspen Institute, where he is now a Distinguished Fellow, and has been the chairman of CNN and the editor of TIME magazine.

Isaacson’s most recent biography, "Leonardo da Vinci" (Oct. 2017), offers new discoveries about Leonardo’s life and work, weaving a narrative that connects his art to his science. He is the author of "The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution" (2014), "Steve Jobs" (2011), "Einstein: His Life and Universe" (2007), "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" (2003), and "Kissinger: A Biography" (1992).

Isaacson is from New Orleans, and is a graduate of Harvard College and Pembroke College of Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He began his career at The Sunday Times of London and then the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He joined TIME in 1978 and served as a political correspondent, national editor, and editor of digital media before becoming the magazine’s 14th editor in 1996. He became chairman and CEO of CNN in 2001, and then president and CEO of the Aspen Institute in 2003.

Among his many honors, he is chair emeritus of Teach for America, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and serves on the board of Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Rockefeller Foundation.

The celebrated journalist, biographer, intellectual leader, and humanist discusses how da Vinci’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves.

Joe MacInnis

Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 3 p.m.

“In Praise of Empathy, Eloquence and Endurance”

Joe MacInnis is a physician, scientist and storyteller. His pioneering undersea science and engineering projects earned him his nation’s highest honor, the Order of Canada. The first person to explore the ocean beneath the North Pole, he was among the first to dive to the Titanic. He’s spent six thousand hours studying human performance beneath the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans and has worked with the U.S. Navy, the French and Canadian governments and the Russian Academy of Sciences. Recently, he was medical advisor on the $30-million James Cameron-National Geographic seven-mile science dive into the Mariana Trench. Today, Dr. MacInnis studies leadership and mentorship in high risk environments—and how empathy, eloquence and endurance give shape and meaning to life.

In his dramatic, visually-driven presentation, he’ll take you on a personal tour of the cold and deep ocean, starting with his first-ever dives under the ice at the geographic North Pole. You’ll see him and James Cameron on a $14-million Disney expedition deep under the Atlantic Ocean filming volcanic vents and their bizarre communities of life. He shows us how images recorded in the interior of Titanic changed the way we think about extreme depths. He gives us a behind-thescenes look at the team and technology that led to Cameron’s successful seven-mile descent into the Mariana Trench.

Dr. MacInnis has spent time on the set of Cameron’s “Avatar 2.” He suggests that the ocean-inspired “Avatar” series may be the most important environmental films ever made.

The respected scientist reveals how deep empathy, deep eloquence and deep endurance are essential to art and science and our emotional well-being.

Eric Motley, Ph.D. Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 3 p.m.

“My American Inheritance: An Odyssey of Grace and Gratitude” Eric Motley has lived the American dream, in part because so many people dreamed it for him. The first member of his family to go to college, he graduated from Samford University in Alabama, went on to receive a Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and then became the youngest appointee in President George W. Bush’s White House. Today, he’s an executive vice president of Washington, D.C.’s Aspen Institute, an organization that brings together diverse leaders in an effort to solve critical problems in society. But none of those achievements would have been thinkable if not for the love and guidance Motley received from his caregiver grandparents and countless members of his neighborhood, Madison Park, a tight-knit enclave of Montgomery, Alabama, that was founded in 1880 by freed slaves. His new memoir, “Madison Park: A Place of Hope,” is a valentine to the place and the people who shaped him—and the true meaning of community.

Prior to the Aspen Institute he served as managing director of the Henry Crown Fellowship Program, and he served as the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute-Rockefeller Foundation’s Commission to Reform the Federal Appointments Process. Motley serves on the Board of Directors of Barry-Wehmiller Companies, The James Madison Council of the Library of Congress, the Library Cabinet for the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mt. Vernon, jury member of the Ken Burns American Heritage Prize, The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s National Council, and The John F. Kennedy Centennial Memorial Task Force, among others. He is a book collector of first editions and rare books with a concentration on the English writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson.

In one of the most inspirational memoirs of 2018, Motley tells the story of his proud black Alabama roots that is a testament to the values of faith, family, and community.

David Brooks

Tuesday, January 29, 2019 at 3 p.m.

“Politics Today”

Photo: © 2011 David Burnett

David Brooks is one of the nation’s leading writers and commentators. He has a gift for bringing audiences face to face with the spirit of our times with humor, insight and quiet passion. He is a keen observer of the American way of life and a savvy analyst of present-day politics and foreign affairs.

Brooks became an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times in September 2003. His column appears every Tuesday and Friday. He is currently a commentator on “PBS NewsHour,” NPR’s “All Things Considered” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

He is the author of “Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There” and “On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense.” In March 2011 he came out with his third book, “The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement,” which was a No. 1 New York Times best-seller.

Mr. Brooks also teaches at Yale University, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He holds honorary degrees from Williams College, New York University, Brandeis University, and Occidental College, among others.

The popular New York Times opinion columnist discusses current events with humor, insight, and passion.

Andrew Roberts Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 3 p.m.

“Winston Churchill: Walking with Destiny” The Harold and Helen Bernstein Memorial Lecture Winston Churchill dominates the history of Britain in the twentieth century - the brash, brave and ambitious young aristocrat who sought out danger in late Victorian wars, the mercurial First Lord of the Admiralty who was responsible for the Dardanelles disaster in 1915, the Home Secretary who crushed the General Strike in 1926, the Colonial Secretary who rode with T. E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell at the Pyramids, the Chancellor who took the country back to the Gold Standard and then spent more than 10 years in the political wilderness - and who, finally, was summoned to save his country in 1940.

Acclaimed British historian Andrew Roberts’ titanic new biography “Churchill: Walking with Destiny” (Oct. 2018) interprets all these events, gives full visibility to Churchill’s flaws, and brilliantly explains his genius. Roberts used over 40 collections of papers not available to Churchill’s previous biographer and he is the first Churchill biographer to be granted access by Queen Elizabeth II to the private diaries of King George VI. Dr. Andrew Roberts FRSL FRHistS has a Ph.D. from Cambridge University, is a visiting professor at the War Studies Department of King’s College, London, the Lehrman Institute Distinguished Lecturer at the New-York Historical Society, and the author of 13 books, including “Eminent Churchillians,” “Hitler and Churchill,” “A History of the English-speaking Peoples Since 1900,” “The Storm of War: A History of the Second World War,” and “Masters and Commanders: How Roosevelt, Churchill, Alanbrooke and Marshall Won the War in the West.” He is a Trustee of the International Churchill Society, the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust and the National Portrait Gallery.

“I felt that I was walking with destiny, and all my life had been but preparation for that hour.”

- Winston Churchill

Mary Matalin & James Carville Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at 3 p.m.

“Love & War: Twenty Five Years, Four Presidents, Two Daughters and One Louisiana Home” One of America’s best-loved political couples, James Carville and Mary Matalin are politically opposed, ideologically mismatched, and intensely opinionated. They will take a look at how they —and America— have changed in the last two decades yet still manage to agree on a few things. They will provide an enlightening and entertaining look at Washington politics, and discuss their new life in New Orleans today, where their efforts to rebuild and promote that city have become a central part of their lives— and a poignant metaphor for moving the nation forward.

Matalin and Carville are key players on the national political stage—they each have over 30 years of experience in politics and have individually worked for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. They combine their unique experiences to provide audiences with a stimulating, candid, and provocative conversation from both sides of the political aisle.

James Carville is an unbowed liberal and Mary Matalin is a celebrated conservative voice, former assistant to President George W. Bush and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney. Matalin served as President George Bush’s campaign manager in 1992, while her soon-to-be husband, Carville, was President Bill Clinton’s campaign manager. They are the authors of two national best sellers, “All’s Fair: Love, War, and Running for President,” (1995) and “Love and War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters and One Louisiana Home (2014).”

One of America’s best-loved political couples will give an enlightening and entertaining look at today’s issues and how the nation can move forward together.

Christopher Plummer Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 3 p.m.

“A Word Or Two . . . ” The Esther Elson Memorial Lecture

Though he remained prolific both on stage and on screen, the classically trained actor struggled to find film roles that paralleled his immense talent. Plummer found solace on the stage, where he won Tonys for Best Leading Actor in the musical “Cyrano” (1974) and the drama “Barrymore” (1997). He also gave a titular performance in “King Lear” (2004).

Classically handsome and equally capable of channeling good nature or villainy as required by the script, Plummer also easily straddled starring and character roles, acting in such acclaimed films as “The Man Who Would Be King” (1975), “The Insider” (1999), “A Beautiful Mind” (2001), “The New World” (2005), and “Syriana” (2005). He has worked with directors as diverse as John Huston, Spike Lee, Michael Mann and Ron Howard.

He garnered an Academy Award nomination as the literary revolutionary Leo Tolstoy in “The Last Station” (2009). Within the next year, he won his first Oscar in a supporting role for “The Beginners” (2010). In 2017 the octogenarian was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his performance, replacing Kevin Spacey, as J. Paul Getty in Ridley Scott’s “All the Money in the World.”

Photo: HFPA

Born in Ontario, Canada, Christopher Plummer took an early interest in the stage, acting in various productions that included ballet and opera. After headlining for three of the world’s most noted theater companies, Plummer starred in a host of movies, most memorably playing Baron Georg Von Trapp in the smash hit musical “The Sound of Music” (1965).

The classically-trained actor is one of the finest performers of his generation. In his Oscar acceptance speech, he spoke to the statuette, saying “You’re only two years older than me, darling. Where have you been all my life?”

Ben Stein

Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 3 p.m.

“America’s Economic Future” The John R. Donnell Memorial Lecture Ben Stein is one of the most famous economics teachers in America, and his comedic role as the droning economics teacher in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986) is ranked as one of the 50 most famous scenes in movie history. In real life, Ben Stein is a powerful speaker on economics, politics, education and history, and is considered one of the great humorists on political economy and how life works.

Stein has a bachelor’s degree with honors in economics from Columbia, and is a graduate of Yale Law School (1970) where he was elected valedictorian by his classmates. He has been a poverty lawyer, trade regulation lawyer for the FTC, speech writer for Presidents Nixon and Ford, columnist and editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal, and a teacher of law and economics.

He has written or co-written roughly 30 books, mostly about investing, with his colleague, Phil DeMuth, many of them New York Times bestsellers. Their “Yes, You Can Time The Market” has become a landmark of using price theory for securities market analysis. He wrote an economics column for The New York Times for several years, roughly 2004-2009, and he was the co-host, along with Jimmy Kimmel, on the game show, “Win Ben Stein’s Money,” which won seven Emmys. Presently, he writes a column for The American Spectator and for NewsMax, and is a regular commentator on Fox News and on CBS Sunday Morning, as well as a frequent commentator on CNN.

Renaissance man Ben Stein melds deadpan humor and serious insights on the economy and human nature in talks that leave people laughing and thinking.

Jonah Goldberg Tuesday, March 5, 2019 at 3 p.m.

“Suicide of the West” The Samuel J. Heyman Memorial Lecture The Atlantic magazine has identified Jonah Goldberg as one of the top 50 political commentators in America. He has written on politics, media, and culture for a wide variety of leading publications, including a weekly column for the Los Angeles Times. He is a member of the board of contributors to USA Today, and a regular member of the “Fox News All-Stars” on “Special Report with Bret Baier”. In addition, he has appeared on numerous television and radio programs.

He is also the author of the recently-released New York Times best-seller “Suicide of the West” (2018), as well as two previous New York Times best-sellers, “The Tyranny of Clichés” (2012) and “Liberal Fascism” (2008). Goldberg is a Fellow at the National Review Institute. In 2011 he was named the Robert J. Novak Journalist of the Year at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

For the West to survive, we must acknowledge the principles of liberty and the rule of law are under attack from the Left and Right.

Richard Russo

Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 3 p.m.

“The Destiny Thief”

In “The Destiny Thief” Richard Russo provides insight into his life as a writer, teacher, friend, and reader. From a commencement speech he gave at Colby College, to the story of how an oddly placed toilet made him reevaluate the purpose of humor in art and life, to a comprehensive analysis of Mark Twain’s value, to his harrowing journey accompanying a dear friend as she pursued gender-reassignment surgery, “The Destiny Thief” reflects the broad interests and experiences of one of America’s most beloved authors. Warm, funny, wise, and poignant, the essays included here traverse Russo’s writing life, expanding our understanding of who he is and how his singular, incredibly generous mind works. An utter joy to read, they give deep insight into the creative process from the perspective of one of our greatest writers.

Photo: © Elena Seibert

Richard Russo is the author of eight novels, most recently “Everybody’s Fool” and “That Old Cape Magic;” two collections of stories, with “Trajectory” published in 2017; and “Elsewhere,” a memoir. His newest book, “The Destiny Thief,” is a collection of essays on writing, writers, and life. In 2002 he received the Pulitzer Prize for “Empire Falls,” which like “Nobody’s Fool” was adapted to film, in a multiple-award-winning HBO miniseries; in 2016 he was given the Indie Champion Award by the American Booksellers Association; and in 2017 he received France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine. He lives in Portland, Maine.

A master of the novel, short story, and memoir, the best-selling and Pulitzer Prizewinning author discusses his latest work.

Henry Kissinger Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 3 p.m.

“How the Enlightenment Ends”

According to Dr. Kissinger, “Through all human history, civilizations have created ways to explain the world around them—in the Middle Ages, religion; in the Enlightenment, reason; in the 19th century, history; in the 20th century, ideology. Heretofore, the technological advance that most altered the course of modern history was the invention of the printing press in the 15th century. The most difficult yet important question about the world into which we are headed is this: What will become of human consciousness if its own explanatory power is surpassed by Artificial Intelligence, and societies are no longer able to interpret the world they inhabit in terms that are meaningful to them?”

What is the impact on human cognition?

What is the role of ethics in this process?

Philosophers in the field of humanities helped shape previous concepts of world order.

Artificial Intelligence is inexperienced in politics and philosophy. Dr. Kissinger warns if we do not develop a national vision soon, we may discover that we started too late.

Photo: © Jürgen Frank

Dr. Henry Kissinger, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and legendary foreign policy advisor, is currently President and Chairman of Kissinger and Associates. He is a former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Enjoy an insightful conversation with Dr. Henry Kissinger regarding Artificial Intelligence.

Marlene Strauss Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at 3 p.m.

“Madame Helena Rubinstein: Cosmetic Empress, Collector Extraordinaire” Born a poor girl in Krakow, Poland, Helena Rubinstein became the chieftain of a beauty empire – collecting art along the way. She would mix her huge collection of African art with her Matisses, Chagalls, Renoirs, Modiglianis, Salvador Dalís, and many others. Her beauty salons were also mini-art museums.

She was not a beauty queen, but she was definitely a beauty provider. She believed that well-groomed women were more self-assured, and more successful. As Helena would say to women everywhere, “Beauty is a Duty!”

Marlene Strauss lectures annually at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the 21st Century Club in Cleveland. She has spoken at the Smithsonian Institution and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, the French Embassy (of Cultural Affairs) in New York and at many museums, town halls, women’s clubs and organizations throughout the United States.

She is a former board member of the National Academy of Design in New York and IFAR (International Foundation for Art Research), and served as secretary-treasurer of the Archaeological Institute of America. In 1978, as an officer of the AIA, she was appointed diplomatic courier to Christos Doumas, director of excavations on the Greek Island of Santorini.

Helena Rubinstein revolutionized the world of cosmetics and built an empire that remains as ageless as the art she collected.

100 Four Arts Plaza • Palm Beach, FL 33480 (561) 655-7227 • contactus@fourarts.org • www.fourarts.org