D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A who felt he really needed to be someone else. On a brighter note, on a Friday in early June, they held the New York Botanical Garden’s Conservatory Ball at the Botanical Garden in the Bronx. The evening was presented by Chanel. This is a longtime annual dinner dance and, for a lot of New Yorkers who attend, it marks the end of the spring social season and the beginning of summer. It is one of the most beautiful dinner dances in New York, no matter the time of year. The New York Botanical Garden, right there smack in the middle of the borough of
the Bronx, is beyond beautiful in its landscaping, its woodland and forests, its gardens, and its stately and elegant Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, where the feature show is “Monet’s Garden.” Monet once said that flowers inspired him to become a painter. This New York Botanical Garden exhibition is seasonally changing, turning the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a masterpiece of diverse plants, bold colors, and dramatic forms, and includes a recreation of his Japanese footbridge and his Grand Allée draped with flowers.
Beginning this month, Monet’s most famous subject, the water lilies, will be featured in the Conservatory Courtyard Pools in many of the varieties he grew. The affair was black-tie and very dressy. It began with a champagne and cocktail reception in the outdoor garden. The chairs were Ms. Barbara Cirkva, Mrs. Timothy George, Mrs. Charles Johnson, Mrs. Sylvester Miniter IV, and Mrs. B. Robert Williamson, Jr. Honorary chairs were Mrs. Jeremy Biggs and Mrs. Richard L. Chilton, Jr. The chairmen’s committee included Mrs. Christopher
Cuomo, Andrea Henderson Fahnestock, Mr. and Mrs. John Galantic, Mrs. Henry P. Johnson, Mrs. Edward Kaplan, Mrs. Rebekah McCabe, Mrs. George P. Taylor V, Carmen M. Thain, and Mish Tworkowski. Junior chairs were Alexandra Lebenthal, Christian Leone, Amy Todd Middleton, and Mrs. Jean Putzer. The chairmen emeriti were Mrs. Coleman Burke, Mrs. Marvin Davidson, Mai Hallingby Harrison, Mrs. John S. Hilson, Mrs. Carlisle Jones, and Mrs. John R. Robinson. Principal benefactors for the Conservatory Ball were Mr. and Mrs. Richard Chilton
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