When MoMA Throws a Garden Party, New York Shows Up

Just shy of its centennial, the Museum of Modern Art remains a beacon for the visionaries who helped shape it. Chief among them is Glenn Lowry, MoMA’s outgoing David Rockefeller Director, who will retire this year after an extraordinary 30-year tenure. The institution honored him in fitting fashion at its 2025 Party in the Garden.

The evening, a sold-out affair, drew a dazzling cross-section of the cultural world. Notable guests included patrons like Michael Bloomberg, Wendi Murdoch, Agnes Gund, Jamie Singer Soros, Alexandre Arnault, Michael Ovitz, and Tamara Mellon. Artists, too, turned out in force—Marina Abramović, Derrick Adams, Joel Shapiro, Doug Aitken, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Mark Bradford, and Tyler Mitchell among them. The atmosphere was less gala, more family reunion.

Set against current exhibitions by Jack Whitten, Otobong Nkanga, and Hilma af Klint, the party unfolded across the museum’s garden and lobby. This year’s event was sponsored by Tory Burch, who dressed Sarah Hoover and Colby Mugrabi for the occasion and wore a deep purple look herself.

The dress code—“Festive”—left ample room for interpretation. Most men kept to summer suiting in wool and linen, while the women bloomed in floral prints, petal appliqués, and embellishments. After months of rainy New York weather, the Party in the Garden marked one of high society’s first chances to debut a proper summer frock.

Cocktails in the garden kicked off the night—more Garden of Eden than Midtown Manhattan—with jazz, sparkling wine, and sculpture creating a dreamy tableau of curators, collectors, and creatives.

Dinner followed in the museum’s lobby, with tablescapes echoing Odili Donald Odita’s bold murals on view: color-blocked lamps, flickering candles, and rose-strewn centerpieces set amidst lush greenery.

MoMA President Sarah Arison, Chair Marie-Josée Kravis, and Glenn Lowry each took to the mic. “I never imagined this journey would last this long or be so rewarding,” said Lowry. “To the extent I have succeeded, it is only because this was, from the start, a collective project—made possible by the talent of our staff, whose ideas are embedded in every aspect of the museum today.”

As the gala wound down, the after-party came alive. A younger crowd filtered into the museum’s garden, where singer Role Model performed and DJs Rae Sada and Gale Scott kept the energy high. The mood skewed Montauk summer—think it-bags, sheer silhouettes, and New York cool.

A fittingly fabulous send-off for Glenn Lowry’s final MoMA season.