On Friday, November 14th more than 400 fashionably dressed guests gathered from around the globe to attend one of the season’s most anticipated events, The Historical Society of Palm Beach County’s Grand Opening Reception for the exhibition Wish You Were Here: Tourism in the Palm Beaches in partnership with The Palm Beaches. The affair sets the mood for the rest of the season, and in my opinion, opens the season. The historic 1916 Courthouse now the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum was brightly lit with colors, while lite bites were served by Munyon’s Paw-Paw, burgers, and shakes from a miniature of The Hut. Coconut water from coconuts opened on the spot by Ganache Bakery of the West Palm Beach Food Tours was served alongside other libations while well-known Palm Beach and Hamptons DJ Adam Lipson set the mood. Busch Wildlife brought live animals. Guests were able to play simulated golf from Dryvebox and participated in a virtual reality experience presented by MarineMax.
Jeremy Johnson, President and CEO of the Society, thanked the Host Committee and Junior Committee, filled with community leaders and Palm Beach society, for their contributions.
This year’s exhibit Wish You Were Here transformed the museum into a very connected reality where you can listen to Lilly Pulitzer describe her love for the Palm Beaches, view never-before-exhibited paintings by the Highwaymen, and see memorabilia from the region’s most prominent players of golf, tennis, and polo. Wayne Gretsky and Jack Nicklaus welcome visitors in a special video presentation. 150 years of fun and games and R&R are highlighted. You can flip through the pages of a 140-year-old diary on your phone or listen to the jazz music that emanated from the Sunset Lounge nearly a century ago making this exhibit very close and personal.
Slim Aarons: Once Upon A Time
“Aarons was a transitional figure at the height of the era of photojournalism, when magazines like Life were read by millions. The public had become fascinated by members of the affluent class, and Aarons captured them in all their splendor.” —Town & Country
Increasingly heralded for his influence, Slim Aarons has established his place in the pantheon of great postwar photographers. It was Aarons who perfected, if not invented, the environmental portrait while photographing the international elite in their exclusive playgrounds during the jet-set decades of the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, carrying out his self-described mission: to document “attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.” BUY HERE
The much-anticipated exhibition, presented in partnership with The Palm Beaches, was celebrated in Manhattan at the home of Jean Shafiroff.
Host Committee: (Daphne Nikolopoulos, Chair) Michael Aram, Lindsay Autry, Christine Aylward, Amy and Bret Baier, Lori Berg, Katherine and Daniel Boulud, Sebastian Clarke, Devorah Ezagui, Mira Fain, Annie Falk, Nacho Figueras, Beth and Dr. Robert Fishel, Janet and Wayne Gretzky, Bruce Helander, Daniel Hostettler, Katherine Lande, Paul Leone, Susan Magrino, Barbara and Jack Nicklaus, Allison and Jack Nicklaus Jr., Milly and Patrick Park, Katherine Parr, Amy Phelan, Michael Prince, Luke Reissman, Laura and Byron Russell, David Sabin, Milton Segarra, Jessica Shapiro, Mish Tworkowski, Katherine Van Dell, Sarah Wetenhall, Michael Zeff
The Palm Beach Collection: Architecture, Designs, and Gardens
Take a guided tour through the entrancing homes and lush private gardens of Palm Beach, a subtropical island that has long boasted some of the most spectacular residences in the country, in this two-volume, slipcased set collecting Palm Beach Living and Palm Beach Chic.
“Few people know [Palm Beach] better than Jennifer Ash Rudick.” —Town & Country BUY HERE
Junior Committee: (Skye Sherman, Chair) Collin Santini Adams, Bettina Anderson, Caroline Bramlett Broome, Tyler Cameron, Sophie Chateauvert, Christina Coniglio, Devorah Ezagui, Adam Gold, Ryan Hollihan, Logan Horne, Jamal Lake, Ben Leone, Kendall Livingston, Pushkar Marathe, Olivia Meyer, Amanda Mizell, Kim Murstein, Emma Richter, Taylor Thomas Smythe, Grace Walker
Sponsors: Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, CIBC Private Wealth, Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, Dryvebox, Lilly Pulitzer, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, Marine Max Yachts, Palm Beach County Sports Commission, Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, Palm Beach Illustrated, Palm Beach International Airport, Palm Beach International Boat Show, Paul Labrecque, PGA of America, Related Ross, Sotheby’s International Realty, St. John, The Boca Raton, The Breakers Palm Beach, The Colony Hotel, The Park West Palm, The Royal Poinciana Plaza, Top of Mind Palm Beach, Tropic Ocean Airways, U.S. Polo Assn. Global, Vintage Charter & Boat Club, Visit Palm Beach, West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority, and West Palm Beach Food Tours
Artist in Residence: Kyle Lucks
Contributing Writer: Rick Rose
ABOUT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. The Historical Society of Palm Beach County is a nonprofit organization founded in 1937 to collect, preserve, and share the history of Palm Beach County and the larger context of Florida. The HSPBC operates and maintains the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum, an admission-free, accessible institution featuring high-quality, interactive exhibits. Funds raised by the Society provide critical education programs to the school children of Palm Beach County. To learn more, call 561.832.4164 ext. 100 or visit pbchistory.org.
PALM BEACH
Assouline coffee table books add unparalleled style and elegance to your luxury home decor, and the Travel Series is the most aesthetically vibrant assemblage of books on the Assouline bookshelf. These visually rich and decorative books feature stunning images and compelling narratives of over thirty destinations. Collecting a treasure trove of travel, art, fashion, and design stories, each volume is an inspiring journey, with creative and luxurious bliss waiting on every page. Early in the 1900s, one-time oil baron Henry Morrison Flagler took an interest in the Southern coast of Florida and began developing an exclusive resort town.BUY HERE
