Schnabel And Karan Honored At LongHouse Benefit

The LongHouse Reserve is so many things to so many people. It’s a garden, and a grand one at that. It’s a gallery of art that rivals any museum on Earth. It’s an educational center that welcomes people of all ages to enjoy the peace and culture one can only find in a place as tranquil and protected as the home of designer Jack Lenor Larsen on Hands Creek Road.

So, it makes complete sense that this year, the LongHouse will honor two artists who have also morphed, as the place itself has, over the years. The transformative LongHouse honors filmmaker/painter Julian Schnabel and designer/philanthropist Donna Karan at the Saturday, July 20, event, with a special performance by artist Laurie Anderson.

Held on the grounds of the LongHouse Reserve’s sculpture garden, the benefit will begin at 6 PM with a reception, live music, and a silent auction.Dinner will begin at 8 with an after-party starting at 10 PM.

Schnabel’s film “At Eternity’s Gate” was screened at Guild Hall of East Hampton last week, and the director himself referred to LongHouse during his talk. “I want to thank LongHouse, who actually organized this, and Jack Lenor Larsen,” Schnabel said. About the grounds of the LongHouse Reserve, he said, “It’s a beautiful place you have over there. I have some sculptures, and I have a couple of friends who are going to play there. I hate to go out. I never go anywhere, but if you go somewhere, you might as well go there.”

Two of Schnabel’s larger-than-life white sculptures will be unveiled at the gala, joining the works of Dale Chihuly, Yoko Ono, Buckminster Fuller, and Willem de Kooning, along with many others.

In addition to having his art in just about every famous museum in the world, Schnabel wrote and directed the now-classic art film “Basquiat,” along with “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” for which he received the award for Best Director at Cannes. The film was nominated for four Oscars.

Schnabel’s “Before Night Falls,” based on the life of the late exiled Cuban novelist Reinaldo Arenas, won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, Javier Bardem, at the 2000 Venice Film Festival. Schnabel currently lives and works in New York City and Montauk.

Dianne Benson, president of LongHouse’s board of trustees, spoke about Karan, who is receiving the leadership award: “Donna Karan will be there with her friends Calvin Klein, Ross Bleckner, Rodney and Coleen Saidman Yee, and of course her wonderful daughter, Gabby — who is donating an over-the-top Tutto meal to our auction,” Benson said. “Karan is also donating a super $2500 shopping spree at Urban Zen,” she continued.

Fashion icon and philanthropist Donna Karan believes creativity, collaboration, connection, and community can change the world. This conviction lies at the heart of Urban Zen, the foundation she started in 2007. The Urban Zen Foundation is dedicated to three interconnected initiatives: Preservation of Culture (Past), Integrative Healthcare and Wellbeing (Present), and Education (Future.)

Urban Zen’s Integrative Therapy is a groundbreaking program that integrates Western medicine with Eastern healing techniques, with more than 900 Urban Zen-certified therapists practicing today.

“And the inimitable Laurie Anderson is performing for her friend, Julian Schnabel, as is Benjamin, which is a name you may not yet have heard but once you see him, you will never forget,” Benson said. “Carissa’s The Bakery is providing dessert like you have never seen before.”

This year’s benefit theme is La Vie en Rose. “Expect unusual rose displays everywhere,” Benson added.

The benefit’s chairs are Dorothy Lichtenstein and Neda Young.

LongHouse Reserve is a 16-acre sculpture museum and garden located at 133 Hands Creek Road in East Hampton. Tickets and more information can be found at www.longhouse.org.

bridget@indyeastend.com