On the evening of April 9, 2024, the American Academy in Berlin’s twenty-fifth Anniversary gala offered a rare occasion to gather in celebration of three luminaries and to reavow the shared transatlantic values that they and the Academy represent. The honorees were philanthropist and Academy trustee Marina Kellen French, who has worked tirelessly to ensure the vitality and relevance of several revered cultural institutions on both sides of the Atlantic; visual artist, Academy trustee and alumna Julie Mehretu, whose work is internationally celebrated for its handling of profound themes of revolt, migration, and exile; and former Italian prime minister and European Central Bank president Mario Draghi, whose leadership during the global financial crisis has been justly acclaimed for helping save the Eurozone.

Video testimonials for the honorees and the Academy were offered by current European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde, former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, former German ambassador to the US and head of the Munich Security Conference Wolfgang Ischinger, film director Volker Schlöndorff, writer Jonathan Safran Foer, and artist Sanford Biggers, among others.

More than 250 guests attended the black-tie fundraising event at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Proceeds will directly support the Academy’s core programming; advance its hallmark scholarship, creativity, and transatlantic engagement; and ensure a brilliant start to the next twenty-five years.

Daniel Benjamin, president of the American Academy in Berlin, said: “Our founders ardently believed in fostering a robust alliance of democratic nations, not only through political and military collaboration, but also through the unifying forces of learning and the arts. …This conviction is stronger than ever as we navigate contemporary global challenges, witnessing a strengthening of the US-German relationship and a powerful reaffirmation of the Atlantic Alliance—in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine, now in its third year. … Amidst the formidable challenges of our time, collaboration and exchange are imperative. It is our fervent belief that through dialogue and shared inquiry, we can surmount these challenges and forge a path towards a brighter future.”