The fourth annual amfAR Palm Beach gala raises $3.8 million for HIV research

Since 1985, the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) has raised more than $900 million to support AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education and advocacy, making it one of the world’s leading nonprofit organisations. amfAR’s galas are known to draw an impressive crowd, and its fourth annual Palm Beach gala, held on 15 March on entrepreneur Ken Griffin’s expansive property with decor by Bronson van Wyck, was no exception. Many of the world’s top collectors and philanthropists, such as Lisa and James Cohen, Dee and Tommy Hilfiger and Amy and John Phelan — who were all amongst the event chairs — enjoyed cocktails, dinner, a performance by Ricky Martin and a live auction. Led by auctioneer Sara Friedlander, Christie’s Deputy Chairman, Post-War & Contemporary Art, the benefit sale, which included contemporary art, luxury items and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, helped drive the night’s total to $3.8 million. Including the evening’s funds, amfAR Palm Beach has now raised nearly $16 million for the organisation’s programs and research grants in just four years.

Hosted by model and longtime amfAR supporter Coco Rocha, this year’s Palm Beach gala additionally presented two awards. Andrea and Steve Wynn received the Philanthropic Leadership Award for their contributions to a wide range of causes advancing scientific discovery and healthcare innovation. Martha Stewart was honoured with amfAR’s Award of Inspiration for her longstanding commitment to human health and welfare through initiatives like the Martha Stewart Center for Living. The lifestyle entrepreneur also contributed one of the evening’s hot-ticket items: an opportunity to sip cocktails with her in her personal garden in Bedford, New York. Six guests will tour Stewart’s flower garden, organic vegetable garden, famed boxwood allées and more situated on the picturesque 156-acre property. Oenophiles also had the opportunity to bid on a French wine experience featuring a four-person stay at Château Malartic-Lagravière, one of the finest Grand Cru Classic Wine Estates.

Three artists additionally generously donated striking works of theirs to support amfAR’s cause. The evening’s top work of art was Hilary Pecis’s Favorite Things (2025), which sold for $400,000. The LA-based artist is celebrated for her sun-drenched still lifes in resplendent hues. The evening’s artworks also included Double Basquiat (2024), a collage of two unique prints by Christopher Makos, a prominent figure in the New York downtown art scene who counted Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol amongst his photographic subjects and friends. In fact, the artist was responsible for introducing Basquiat’s work to the latter Pop legend.

Another icon of Warhol’s oeuvre, Elizabeth Taylor, was the subject of Andrew Brischler’s mixed-media work, Self Portrait (as Catherine, Pink) (2025). The piece is a fitting tribute to the screen siren, who was also amfAR’s Founding International Chairman. The work depicts the actress as Catherine Holly in the 1959 psychosexual drama Suddenly, Last Summer, based on the play by Tennessee Williams. Having since been canonised by queer film historians, the movie offers a unique lens for Brischler to explore his own 21st-century queer experience.

Amongst the gala’s style offerings were a pair of garments by nine-time Emmy-winning costume and fashion designer Bob Mackie. The winner will channel their inner Tina Turner or Elton John, both of whom collaborated closely with Mackie, in a white crepe one-shouldered gown or embroidered jacket, featuring the designer’s signature maximalist beading. For added sparkle, Graff Diamonds presented dazzling 18-karat white-gold chandelier earrings adorned with brilliant round and pear-shaped white diamonds, totalling over 11 carats.

The success of the Palm Beach gala brings the organisation even closer to an astounding $1 billion raised for HIV research and advocacy. As Stewart importantly reminded the rapt audience during her speech, ‘We can be inspired by what amfAR has accomplished, and we can stand by them—and fund them—in all that they are poised to accomplish in the near future.’