On October 26, 2016, ICI hosted its Annual Benefit & Auction, bringing together collaborators and friends from around the world who gathered to honor Marian Goodman with the Leo Award, presented by Agnes Gund, and Miguel A. Lopez with the Independent Vision Curatorial Award, selected and presented by Franklin Sirmans. The Leo Award was created by Tony Matelli.
Nate Freeman reports on the evening for ArtNews.
And Marshall Heyman for the Wall Street Journal wrote:
"Ms. Gund was both a presenter and an inadvertent honoree...at the Cedar Lake event space for the Independent Curators International (ICI) annual benefit and auction. It fell to her to present an award, the 2016 Leo, named after art dealer Leo Castelli, to the gallerist Marian Goodman.
“She’s as powerful as a small person can be,” said Ms. Gund of Ms. Goodman. “She may be little but she’s larger than life.”
Ms. Goodman, who will celebrate the 40th anniversary of her gallery in 2017, said she has always preferred being on West 57th Street as opposed to somewhere further downtown. Her artists tend to agree.
“If someone makes a trip uptown, they must be serious,” Ms. Goodman explained.
She was presented with a sculpture by the artist Tony Matelli, featuring two strawberries. A few moments after accepting the gift, she promptly decided it was better in the hands of Ms. Gund.
“Maybe they should give them each one strawberry,” remarked a guest of the exchange at the benefit.
The evening raised $475,000, brought out Jo Carole and Ronald Lauder; Adam Shopkorn; Sydie Lansing and her son, Sims; Bob Colacello, and Maurizio Cattelan, and featured a cotton candy machine during dessert."
