I have been a longtime supporter of organizations that help our environment and have been so impressed with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and their continued efforts to support initiatives around the world in favor of a sustainable ocean. This year the foundation held its second Monte Carlo Gala for the Global Ocean, in the heart of Monte Carlo and featured some of the most amazing live auction items ever offered.
The event was held at the Terraces of the Opera of Monte Carlo and included live performances by Gloria Gaynor, Nile Rodgers, and Chic. It was chaired by a huge list of celebrities including; Madonna, Li Bing Bing, Orlando Bloom, Adrien Brody, Pierce Brosnan, Gerard Butler, Robert Davi, Andy Garcia, Goldie Hawn, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Olga Kurylenko, Eva Longoria, Diane Lane, Kelly Slater, Robin Thicke and Chris Tucker. Orlando Bloom (attending with girlfriend Katy Perry), received an honorary award from Prince Albert.
The Gala was hosted by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and Global Fundraising Chairman Milutin Gatsby, Olivier Wenden is Executive Director of the Foundation, and the live auction was conducted by Simon de Pury. With an elaborate design, the 750 guests entered a Jules Verne themed under the Sea party complete with enormous stadium size screens featuring marine life swimming around the guests.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Prince Albert II of Monaco and Milutin Gatsby at the inaugural Monte-Carlo Gala for the Global Ocean.
This year's Gala was dedicated to the Foundation's eight priority actions including; fighting against plastic pollution, developing the Mediterranean Trust Fund for Marine Protected Areas, conserving marine species facing a risk of extinction, expanding marine protected areas in the Polar Regions, mitigating ocean's acidification, supporting innovations to challenge marine threats, favoring sustainable yachting practices and promoting environmental education.
Kelly Slater has created a $30 million wave pool at his Surf Ranch in California. Ten years in the making, it is powered entirely by renewable energy and is the longest, rideable open-barrel man-made wave in the world. The winning bidder and a guest will join him for a day for private surf sessions while testing the latest wave profiles that Slater and his team have developed.
Take a once in a lifetime adventure to one of my favorite resorts on Earth. An around the world, 17-night journey into the world of Aman. Discover six of the brand's hideaways across the globe for up to six people (in three rooms) where you will visit: Amanjena in Morocco, Amanyangyun in China, Amansara in Cambodia, Amantaka in Laos, Amanoi in Vietnam and Amanpuri in Thailand.
Discover the secrets of one of the greatest scientific minds of the modern era and visit one of the most mystical places in the world, the thousand-year-old Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos, the Holy Mountain. The winning bidder and 7 male guests will start the adventure in Belgrade, traveling on a private jet to explore secret archives and experiments in the Institute of Nikola Tesla. The adventure continues on the jet to one of the most legendary monasteries in the world, the medieval Hilandar on Mount Athos.
Join supermodel Toni Garrn on her visit to Africa. Your trip will be in two parts: first, you will join her foundation on one of her projects where she supports girls' education and women's rights in Burundi. Then, you and four guests will visit the island of Zanzibar to stay for six nights in the Presidential Villa in one of the world's top 25 luxury hotels, the Baraza Resort and Spa.
This special three-day experience for two will include front row seats at Gucci's Fall/Winter 2019 fashion show during Milan Fashion Week (February 21 - 27, 2019), where you will get to see Creative Director Alessandro Michele's new collection up close. Your three-night stay will be at the five-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and the exclusive trip will also include a private shopping visit to Gucci's flagship boutique where you will have the opportunity to order complimentary personalized outfits from Gucci's DIY collection. On your third day, you will be driven to Florence for a tour of the Gucci ArtLab, where you will see artisans at work in the House's new state-of-the-art facility. This will be followed by a visit to the Gucci Garden on Piazza Della Signoria in the heart of Florence, where you will enjoy a lavish lunch at Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura's Gucci Osteria and a guided tour of the Gucci Galleria archive exhibition.
This is an amazing opportunity for you to own a Polo Pony bred and trained by Ellerstina in Argentina and keep of the horse for a full year at the Saint-Tropez Polo and Country Club. The package includes membership for two couples to the Country Club Resort, 10 polo lessons, a table for 6-10 people at the Sunday Polo Finals with dinner and a show at the Saint-Tropez Polo Club as well as 10 helicopter transfers between Monaco and Saint-Tropez.
Become the owner of the world's first luxury electric powerboat, specially customized for the auction by Garage Italia. Inspired by classic boat-building, the Vita is powered by a revolutionary propulsion system using a proprietary throttle and touchscreen technology from Vita Power. Built at the company's new base on Lago Maggiore, Italy, the boat combines exquisite craftsmanship and expert engineering to deliver speed and luxury in harmony with its surroundings. Vita Power was founded in 2017 with the aim of bringing the latest in automotive technology and engineering to the marine world. Donated by Stewart Wilkinson with Vita Yachts.
Choose from among four of the world's most beautiful superyachts for exclusive week-long charters including; CHAKRA (282 feet), O'MEGA (270 feet), GRAND OCEAN (263 feet) and SERENITY (236 feet) all donated by philanthropist Jimmy Frangi with SSH Maritime.
This sculpture from one of the today's most important and influential artists involves a detailed process developed and honed by Koons. The idea for the sculptures incorporate years of research, modeling, computer rendering, polishing, and lacquering. To ensure that the sculpture perfectly reproduced a balloon swan, Koons took Computed Tomography (CT) scans of real-life balloon toys.
In 1978 Schnabel traveled throughout Europe and in Barcelona was particularly moved by the architecture of Antoni Gaudí. That same year he made his first plate painting, The Patients and the Doctors. His first solo painting exhibition took place at the Mary Boone Gallery in New York City in February 1979. Schnabel's work has been exhibited all over the world. His paintings, sculptures, and works on paper have been the subject of numerous exhibitions from 1982 through today.
The plastics used in this sculpture from acclaimed Russian artist Vasily Klyukin give a literal example that it is our own waste and inconsiderate actions that are preventing the human race from achieving our full potential. The recycled plastic used in this sculpture comes from non-biodegradable garbage collected from more than 100 countries and includes trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
The watch is made of 18 karat white gold, set with pear-shaped diamonds weighing 19.25 carats, tapered baguette-cut diamonds, marquise-cut diamonds, and brilliant-cut diamonds.
The Brilliant Rainbow watch is made of 446 baguette cut multi-colored sapphires and one rose-cut sapphire, with a total weight of 30.01 carats. The watch features an 18 karat white gold dial, bezel, crown, and buckle. Founded in 1986, Jacob Arabo initially rose to acclaim as a celebrity jeweler in the early 90's and has since expanded his namesake brand to include a flagship boutique on Manhattan's 57th street and watchmaking headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.