You are cordially invited to a celebration in support of La Maison Française of New York University

Thursday, May 9 

The Medal of Honor of the Center for French Language and Cultures will be presented to: 

Michael Burke

Chairman and CEO Louis Vuitton

Virginie Morgon

CEO Eurazeo 

6:30 p.m. Reception · 7:30 p.m. Dinner · Presentations · Entertainment
Black Tie / Festive Attire. Seating is limited. Please reply by May 1. 

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Download the Reply Card
Send to NYU Maison Française, 16 Washington Mews, New York, NY 10003
or
Online registration & payment: LMFGALA19.eventbrite.com

Click here if you cannot attend, but wish to make a gift to support the free cultural programs and educational initiatives of La Maison Française. 

Individual Prime Gala Benefactor Ticket(s) at $1,000
Prime Gala Benefactor Table of 10 at $10,000
Individual Benefactor Ticket(s) at $750
Benefactor Table of 10 at $7,500

The value of the dinner is $150 per person; your payment in excess of that amount constitutes a tax-deductible donation.
Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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Questions? Please contact Francine Goldenhar, Director of La Maison Française: 212-998-8751 | francine.goldenhar@nyu.edu

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Honorees

Michael Burke, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, is one of the leaders of the global fashion industry. A graduate of E.D.H.E.C., he joined Groupe Arnault with responsibility for investments in the United States. He led the U.S. branch of Christian Dior from 1986 to 1992, and then went on to manage Louis Vuitton's North American operations from 1993 to 1997. That year, Michael Burke became Worldwide Managing Director of Christian Dior Couture. After Fendi was acquired by LVMH in 2003, Mr. Burke was named President of the brand, a fashion institution that he helped to transform and revitalize. In February 2012, Mr. Burke took over the direction of Bulgari. Less than a year later, he was named Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton. Mr. Burke is a member of the LVMH Executive Committee. In 2016, he was elected a member of the Management Board of the Fédération Française de la Couture.

Virginie Morgon became CEO of Eurazeo in March 2018. Joining Eurazeo’s Executive Board in 2008, Ms. Morgon has accelerated the firm’s diversification and growth, transforming Eurazeo into a multi-strategy international investment firm able to support companies across all market segments, from start-ups to global large caps, with a range that comprises SMEs, real estate, and brands. From 1991 to 2007, Ms. Morgon spent 16 years as an investment banker at Lazard (New York, London, and Paris) and became the youngest managing partner in 2001. Ms. Morgon features regularly on The International Power 50: Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list. She also co-chairs the Human Rights Watch Support Committee, serves on its Paris Committee, and is a founding member of the Women’s Forum for Economy & Society. She serves on the Board of Directors of Moncler, and is an independent Board member of L’Oréal. Previously, she served on the Boards of AccorHotels and Vivendi.

Entertainment by Avalon Jazz Band
 

Avalon Jazz Band is the ambassador of Parisian hot jazz in the United States and internationally. Created in New York in 2012, the band has performed at the most renowned venues in the city (Lincoln Center, Dizzy’s, The Iridium, Joe’s Pub, The Carlyle, The Rainbow Room…), sharing the stage with the likes of Norah Jones, Harry Connick Jr., and Stéphane Wrembel, and touring around the world (United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, French Caribbean, Porto Rico, Fiji…).

The music of Avalon Jazz Band is inspired by the Parisian jazz scene of the 1930s and 40s, the emblematic sound made popular by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. They perform the American standards popular in France at that period, but also the songs of French composers influenced by that new sound called "jazz," made popular by Yves Montand, Jean Sablon, and Charles Trenet, among others. In addition to these classics, Avalon Jazz Band also performs original music, offering their own vision of what contemporary swing can be, blending their Francophone culture into their American experience.

Just north of Washington Square, at the entrance to the historic, cobblestoned Washington Mews, stands a New York University landmark: La Maison Française. Founded in 1957, it is one of the most active centers of French-American cultural and intellectual exchange, and has welcomed thousands of writers, scholars, artists, and public figures.

As the public face of the university’s Center for French Language and Cultures, La Maison Française complements and enriches the academic degree programs offered by the Department of French Literature, Thought, and Culture and those of the Institute of French Studies.

Through its wide range of free public activities—lectures, symposia, art exhibits, films, concerts, theatre, and special events— La Maison Française serves the university, business, artistic, and professional communities, as well as the general public, in the New York metropolitan area.

For support of its activities, La Maison Française of New York University seeks gifts and grants from individuals, foundations, and corporations which value its leadership contributions to French-American relations. New York University is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

_{Photo of Michael Burke: (c) Jean-François Robert}