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American Federation of Arts Honors Three Champions of the Art World at Annual Gala & Cultural Leadership Awards in New York

The American Federation of Arts (AFA), the leader in traveling exhibitions worldwide since its founding in 1909, presented the 2025 Cultural Leadership Awards to three champions of the art world: Christian Levett, Howardena Pindell and Ann Temkin at its annual Gala on November 10. The event gathered leaders in art and culture to celebrate the outstanding contributions to the arts by these three honorees, at Guastavino’s in New York. Proceeds benefit the AFA’s Women in Art Initiative, which advances exhibitions and programs that elevate women artists. Proceeds also support the AFA’s nationally touring exhibitions and public programs that reach millions of museumgoers across the country.

“The American Federation of Arts is honored to present our 2025 Cultural Leadership Awards to Christian Levett, Howardena Pindell and Ann Temkin – three distinguished voices whose advocacy, collecting, and curatorial vision are instrumental in elevating women artists on the global stage. Each of these three honorees has played a pivotal role in shaping a more equitable world,” says Pauline Forlenza, Director & CEO of the American Federation of Arts. “The AFA’s mission is to propel art exhibitions to communities far and wide, so that people may benefit from broader access to art – especially artworks from underrepresented voices. It is especially meaningful that the AFA’s signature event pays homage to this mission by honoring these three champions of the art world,” adds Forlenza.

The marquee annual event brought together the country’s leading artists, museum directors, philanthropists, collectors, and art professionals to celebrate the AFA’s heritage and the honorees.

Among the arts leaders and influencers at the stellar event: Elizabeth Belfer, Kimerly Rorschach, Pamela Joyner, Monique Schoen Warshaw, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Judy Glickman Lauder, Ellen and Bill Taubman, Stephen Reily, Legacy Russell, Axel Rüger, Christophe Cherix, Jill Deupi, H. Alexander Rich, Dustin Yellin, Alexis Rockman, Mary-Kate O’Hare, Storm Ascher, Bonnie Lautenberg, Helena Guindo, Kathleen Goncharov, Gracie Mansion, Roberto Juarez, Reynier Llanes Marquez, J. Henry Fair, Tina Rivers Ryan, Helen Stoilas, Sarah Cascone and Alina Cohen. A table of MoMA curators was also present, in honor of the late Agnes Gund who generously supported the gala before she passed, including: Connie Butler, Stuart Comer, James Grooms, Ana Janevski, Michelle Kuo, Cara Manes and Smooth Nzewi. 

“I feel deeply privileged and profoundly grateful to be recognized at the American Federation of Arts Gala and Cultural Leadership Awards, particularly given the extremely distinguished company that I am so lucky to find myself in,” says Christian Levett. “The American Federation of Arts is a true powerhouse in the art world, championing access to the visual arts for over a century through traveling exhibitions, publications, and educational programs. Their enthusiasm, professionalism and dedication to our project – Abstract Expressionists: The Women – a two-year touring exhibition of my collection highlighting the pioneering women of the New York School, has been nothing short of inspiring.” Levett is a British art collector, philanthropist, and founder of the Mougins Museum of Classical Art in France, which he established in 2011. His collection spans antiquities, modern, and contemporary art, with a particular focus on women artists. In 2021, he transformed his museum to highlight work by female painters and sculptors, building one of the most significant private holdings of women’s art in Europe. Levett is also an active supporter of institutions including the Ashmolean, the Courtauld, and the Fitzwilliam Museum, and funds initiatives to broaden representation in the arts.

“It is an honor to accept this award, especially in the company of such esteemed co-recipients. I am grateful to the AFA for its support of my work,” says the artist and educator Howardena Pindell. She is a pioneering artist, educator, and advocate whose work spans painting, collage, film, and installation. Pindell is the last living artist among the nationally acclaimed artists in Abstract Expressionists: The Women, the AFA’s new touring exhibition. A trailblazer in addressing issues of race, gender, and equity in contemporary art, she is celebrated for both her abstract, process-driven canvases and her powerful political works. Pindell was a curator at MoMA for over a decade before joining the faculty at Stony Brook University, where she is Professor of Art. Her work has been presented in major solo exhibitions at the Shed, MCA Chicago, and the Hirshhorn, and is held in the permanent collections of leading museums worldwide.

“I am delighted to join in celebrating the work of the AFA as an honoree at this year’s Gala,” says Ann Temkin. “The AFA has a remarkable history of connecting art and people, and this history resonates powerfully with issues that are top of mind today: how to position art and culture at the center of building community, how to share resources across institutions, and how to serve audiences across broad geographies. I look forward to the work ahead and extend my warmest gratitude to the AFA,” says Temkin. She has served as Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture at The Museum of Modern Art since 2008. Her reimagining of its galleries features dynamic rotations and broadening acquisitions to include women artists, artists of African descent, and voices beyond Europe and North America. She has curated landmark exhibitions such as Matisse: The Red Studio (2022), Judd (2020), and Picasso Sculpture (2015), and co-edited Inventing the Modern: Untold Stories of the Women Who Shaped MoMA (2024). Previously Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, she is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and holds degrees from Harvard and Yale.

The AFA would like to thank our event sponsor Chargeurs Museum Studio:
“The AFA’s mission to make art accessible to all resonates deeply with our own at Chargeurs Museum Studio. Together, we celebrate the power of design and exhibition-making to connect people and ideas across geographies and generations, honoring those who expand the reach and relevance of art today,” says Vincent Larnicol, the Deputy CEO of Chargeurs Museum Studio.

The 2025 Co-Chair:

Elizabeth Belfer, Emily Bingham & Stephen Reily, Monique Schoen Warshaw, Kimerly Rorschach & John Hart, Alice Walton, and Martha MacMillan.

The 2025 Host Committee:
Sarah Arison, Betsy Shack Barbanell, Laura Bardier, Berry Campbell Gallery, Jonathan P. Binstock, Ph.D,
Janis Gardner Cecil, Tina Davis & James S. Snyder, Leslie & Tom L. Freudenheim, Fort Gansevoort, Vida Foubister,  Lee White Galvis, Ellen Grimes, Agnes Gund, Anthony Hirschel, Elizabeth Kahane, Barbara & Richard S. Lane, Mary Lapides, Bernard Lumpkin, Clare E. McKeon, Wangechi Mutu, Alexis Rockman, Tyler Rollins, Capera Ryan, Betsy Pinover Schiff, Tschabalala Self, Angelica Semmelbauer, Belinda Tate, Ian Taylor, Joyce Tsai, Sandra & Stanford Warshawsky, George Wells, and Allison Whiting.

The AFA is honored to collaborate with a network of more than 100 distinguished museum partners, including:

• Northeast: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Jewish Museum (NYC).
• South: High Museum of Art (Atlanta), Dallas Museum of Art, Gibbes Museum of Art (Charleston), the Lowe Art Museum – University of Miami, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond).

• Midwest: Art Institute of Chicago, Cleveland Museum of Art, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City), and Wichita Art Museum. West: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and Seattle Art Museum.

• International: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (U.K.), Musée du Louvre (Paris), The British Museum (London), and Vancouver
  Art Gallery (Canada).