No stone was left unturned for the British Museum’s pink-themed ball, an inaugural fundraiser that was billed as London’s Met Gala. There were enormous floral installations, while tables were festooned with dahlias and roses. Bars serving pink champagne were bathed in a rosy glow, and guests were bedecked in shades from peony to puce.
The guest list was a cross section of cultural and political powerhouses, as well as socialites, aristocrats and wealthy international elites.
The ball was held in conjunction with the British Museum’s exhibition, Ancient India: living traditions, which concludes this weekend, while the theme was inspired by the “colours and light of India”.
On their invites, guests were instructed to come in shades of rose, blush, cerise, magenta, rouge, carmine, and fuschia. Director of the British Museum Nicholas Cullinan had obsessed over ensuring that the ball was not besmirched by “garish” shades of pink. “It can’t be Barbie pink,” he told The Telegraph.
The ball was co-chaired by Cullinan and Isha Ambani, an arts patron who is the daughter of multibillionaire Indian businessman and petrochemicals magnate Mukesh Ambani, who is the richest man in Asia. Isha is becoming a familiar face on London’s art scene: she was also involved in the organisation of the Serpentine Summer Party earlier this year. The family have deep pockets – at Isha’s brother Anant’s lavish wedding in Delhi last year, performers included Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry.
Celebrity style at the Ball was restrained by comparison with the Met Gala, where outfits range from ostentatious to ridiculous. Most guests cleaved to the theme: model Adwoa Aboah wore a wide-shouldered silk magenta coat and ex Vogue editor Edward Enninful sported a suit in a soft baby pink.
The more avant-garde looks included model Adot Gak in a dress with a peacock-style plumage, while aristocrat Lady Kitty Spencer flouted the unspoken ban on Barbie pink. Perhaps no one’s look took longer to create than Isha Ambani’s, whose pearl and crystal embellished two-piece jacket and skirt was crafted by 35 artisans over 3,670 hours.
There were some rosefuseniks. Artist Tracey Emin wore all black, model Naomi Campbell chose a lace Union Jack dress, and Kristin Scott Thomas was in gold.
After modestly insisting that he would not be attending because “pink does not suit Tube travel,” former culture secretary Lord Vaizey was there after all, sporting an intriguing tight fitted pink tartan bomber jacket and matching flat cap. Perhaps he stumped up for a taxi.
Performances included singer M.I.A, who sung her hit song Paper Planes, before guests were directed to various wings of the gallery for dinner. The main course was served in tiffin tins in a nod to Indian lunchbox culture, and included lamb masala, okra and rice.
There was also a silent auction, with lots including a portrait of your pet painted by Tracey Emin and a tour of Coco Chanel’s Paris apartment.
The evening was invite-only, with a table of 10 costing £20,000 – peanuts compared with the Met Gala, where a single ticket will set you back $75,000.
In his speech, Cullinan listed the many persons of note who have enjoyed the British Museum over the centuries, from Mozart to Karl Marx. “Looking around the room we are not in danger of too many Marxists tonight,” he joked.
Not everyone was tickled pink by the evening. The British Museum has received criticism from climate activists for accepting £50m in funding from BP to help pay for a massive redevelopment project. A crowd of protestors gathered to welcome the VIP arrivals, who posed on the pink carpet to chants of “Billionaire ball, shut it down!”. At one point, “Drop BP” was projected onto the grand marble pediment.
Later, chair of the British Museum George Osborne’s speech was interrupted by an activist who was moonlighting as a waitress. She mounted the stage and unfurled a “Drop BP Now” sign, accusing the British Museum of providing “cultural cover” for the oil giant.
Osborne took the confrontation in his stride, nodding along to the protestor’s words before concluding that it was “great to live in a democracy” as she was escorted off stage by security.
Other musical performances included Tom Odell, sitar player Anoushka Shankar, and a DJ set from Keira Knightley’s husband James Righton, the former frontman of the Klaxons.
The money raised from the evening will go towards funding the British Museum's international partnerships, including a loan of the Bayeux tapestry.
