Funds from the benefit will support the Museum’s education programs, conservation efforts, and exhibitions
Honoree Brian Moynihan, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Bank of America, was presented with the Business Committee Civic Leadership Award for his commitment to and generous support of cultural institutions
During the event, Bank of America announced a grant to the Museum to support conservation of the newly acquired prints in the James Van Der Zee Archive
(New York, June 10, 2022)—The Metropolitan Museum of Art held its annual Spring Gala on Thursday, June 9, raising more than $2.6 million in support of the Museum’s education programs, conservation efforts, and exhibitions. Honoree Brian Moynihan, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Bank of America, was presented with the Business Committee Civic Leadership Award for his commitment to and generous support of cultural institutions.
Daniel H. Weiss, President and CEO of The Met, commented, “This event is a critical fundraiser for the Museum, and we are deeply grateful to Bank of America and to Brian Moynihan for their support of both The Met and cultural and community organizations around the country.”
Honoree Moynihan said, “Bank of America’s partnership with The Met is a crucial pillar in our support for the arts, and we believe in the power of the arts to help local economies thrive, educate, and enrich societies. On behalf of Bank of America and my teammates, it is an honor to receive this award and I am grateful to The Met for this recognition.”
The evening kicked off with a cocktail reception for nearly 400 attendees and a viewing of the exhibition Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents, followed by a seated dinner at the Temple of Dendur then dessert in the Great Hall. Bank of America is the corporate sponsor of Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents, which is on view at The Met Fifth Avenue through July 31.
At the event, Bank of America announced the Museum as one of the recipients of its Art Conservation Project grants, which provide funds to museums around the world to conserve historically or culturally significant works of art that are in danger of degeneration. This year marks the first Art Conservation Project award for The Met; it will support its efforts to conserve some 500 photographs in the Museum’s newly acquired archive of American photographer James Van Der Zee (1886–1983). A repository of New York history, the archive features portraits of thousands of Black families marking life’s many milestones from birth to death and also likenesses of such luminaries as Mamie Smith, Muhammad Ali, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. The James Van Der Zee Archive and this critical conservation effort will allow the Museum to tell a more comprehensive and accurate account of the history of American photography and simultaneously celebrate Black culture from the first decade of the 20th century to the 1980s.
Brian Moynihan
Brian Moynihan is Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of America, where he leads a team of more than 200,000 employees dedicated to improving the financial lives of people, companies of every size, and institutional investors across the United States and around the world.
Bank of America has been recognized as a leader in financial services: it was named to Fortune magazine’s list of World’s Most Admired Companies and Best Big Companies to Work For and as Global Finance’s Best Bank in the United States and North America in 2020, and was placed on the Forbes list of World’s Best Employers in 2019.
The company is the top global bank on Fortune’s Change the World list. It was also the 2019 Catalyst Award winner for supporting the continued development, empowerment, and advancement of women in the company and around the world, and is recognized annually as a top employer by Working Mother, LATINA Style, Black Enterprise, Military Times, and U.S. Veterans Magazine. Bank of America is included in the Forbes Corporate Responders list of 25 companies leading through the health crisis caused by the coronavirus.
Moynihan participates in several organizations that focus on economic and market trends, including the World Economic Forum International Business Council (chair), the Financial Services Forum, the Bank Policy Institute, the Business Roundtable, the Clearing House (chair), the American Heart Association CEO Roundtable (co-chair), the Business Council, and the Federal Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board. He is also a member of the Vatican Council for Inclusive Capitalism and co-chair of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales’ Sustainable Markets Initiative. Moynihan serves as chair of the company’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council and is a member of the museum council for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Brown University Corporation's Board of Fellows, the Catalyst Board of Directors, the Council on Competitiveness Board (chair), and the Appeal of Conscience Board of Trustees.
Moynihan works with public officials, businesses, and civic leaders at the local level through his participation on the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council (chair), the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, and the Partnership for Rhode Island.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Spring Gala
Since 1987, The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Business Committee has hosted an annual Spring Gala, an evening during which tribute is paid to business and civic leaders who both personally and professionally exemplify the commitment and generosity so important to an institution such as The Met. The event raises critical funds for the Museum’s general operating expenses. Previous honorees have included: Howard S. Marks, Trustee and Chairman, Oaktree Capital Management, and Michael G. O’Grady, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Northern Trust (2019); Colm Kelleher, President, Morgan Stanley (2018); Daniel S. Glaser, President & CEO, Marsh McLennan, and Lynne Doughtie, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, KPMG (2017); Michael L. Corbat, Chief Executive Officer, Citigroup, and Oscar L. Tang, Trustee, Co-Founder, Reich & Tang (2016).
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June 10, 2022
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