Colours of India muse for historic UK museum ball
Eight hundred guests are expected to be in attendance at the ball where a table for ten costs 20,000 pounds
Hit by deep cuts in the UK government’s funding for the arts, the British Museum will host a fund-raising inaugural ball on the lines of New York’s fabled Met Gala on October 18 which will be co-hosted by arts patron and businesswoman Isha Ambani.
The British Museum which has in its collection artefacts such as the Rosetta Stone and the bronze sculpture of the Bodhisattva Tara from Sri Lanka, has already been hosting an exhibition since May called, “Ancient India: Living Traditions” which has been supported by the Reliance Foundation and which concludes on October 19. The theme of the inaugural ball, drawing “inspiration from the colours and light of India,” is pink, but a very particular shade of it, as the British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan told the British media. “It has to be this pink that almost has a bit of purple. It can’t be too blush, or too garish. It can’t be Barbie pink. It’s got to be right.”
In a statement released by the museum, Isha Ambani said, “I am honoured to be the co-chair of the inaugural Pink Ball at the British Museum, set amidst the extraordinary exhibition Ancient India: living traditions illustrating how significantly early devotional art from India has influenced global contemporary culture. This incredible event celebrates the rich creative legacy of India and furthers cultural conversations globally, deepening mutual respect and understanding.”
The star-studded Pink Ball committee features global icons including supermodel Naomi Campbell, actor Idris Elba, former British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, billionaire fashion designer Miuccia Prada, and arts patron and chairperson of Qatar Museums Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani. Among the Indians on the committee are industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, actor Sonam Kapoor and designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Anoushka Shankar will perform on the night of the ball with the Grammy-winning conductor and composer Jules Buckley.
Eight hundred guests are expected to be in attendance at the ball where a table for ten costs 20,000 pounds. A silent auction will also be held, the proceeds of which will be used for the British Museum’s international partnerships displaying their prized objects at new locations across the world. The ball will also help the museum cover the cost of borrowing the Bayeux Tapestry from France which is supposed to be the British Museum’s marquee exhibition next year. The 230 ft. long embroidered tapestry features scenes of the Norman conquest of 1066 and will be brought back to the UK after over 900 years. HT has learnt that the Pink Ball will be part of the discussion on the larger India-UK cultural collaboration during UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Mumbai on Wednesday.
“...London is globally renowned for its arts, culture, creativity and style. It is a city where history and innovation coexist, and everyone is welcome. The British Museum Ball celebrates this dynamism, and we’re delighted to have collaborated with Isha Ambani to make it happen,” said museum director Nicholas Cullinan. “It will be an incredible gathering of artists, designers, collectors and cultural icons from around the globe, across the galleries of the British Museum, which have welcomed hundreds of millions of visitors for free for nearly 275 years. This is a celebration not only of this extraordinary institution and our shared humanity, but of our city and country – a global crossroads and a creative powerhouse.”
