The 2026 IFPDA Foundation Benefit Gala took place on the Upper East Side, honoring Christophe Cherix, Director of The Museum of Modern Art. Held in the historic Veterans Room at the Park Avenue Armory, the event gathered notable figures including artists Hank Willis Thomas and Yashua Klos, collectors Sharon Coplan, Stewart Gross, and Jordan Schnitzer, dealers Carolina Nitsch, Jill Newhouse, and Joni Moisant Weyl, and curators Nadine Orenstein, Freyda Spira, and Andrew Weislogel. A new print edition by Stanley Whitney, produced with Universal Limited Art Editions, was released to support the IFPDA Foundation’s grantmaking initiatives.
The event underscores the enduring significance of printmaking within the contemporary art world, highlighting the medium’s dedicated community of curators, artists, printmakers, and collectors. By honoring a major museum director and releasing a limited-edition work, the gala reinforces the IFPDA’s role in promoting works on paper through exhibitions, scholarship, and fundraising. The evening also serves as a prelude to the upcoming IFPDA Print Fair, scheduled for April 10-12, which will host 80 leading exhibitors.