Camera: the $1,500-a-plate fundraiser celebrating the new Marc Chagall exhibit at the AGO

By Fraser Abe | Photography by George Pimentel Photography

October 15, AGO. If ever there were an event to rouse the city’s tastemaking, power-brokering elite, the $1,500-a-plate fundraiser celebrating the new Marc Chagall exhibit at the AGO was it. Outside, at least nine valets parked Beemers and Bentleys. Inside, ladies dazzled in sequins and feathers while men toed the sartorial line in black tuxedos. ­Bottles of Stolichnaya took the place of ­centrepieces, so the crowd was well lubricated by the time the event’s honorary chair, Norman Jewison, rose to speak about the painting (titled The Fiddler) that he donated to the exhibit. He told the story of how he purchased the work at an auction in London, a rollicking tale that involved an overzealous cab driver and a spot-on Cockney accent. When he received a standing ovation, he seemed touched, but astutely credited the Stoli shots for loosening his tongue and the crowd.