At the Norton Museum of Art's annual gala, "One Night at the Norton," art wasn’t just on the walls—it was embedded in every moment. The evening was a spectacle of sight, sound, and fundraising, garnering over $5 million to support the institution's curatorial and community engagement programs. And, for the first time in the museum’s history, an artist took center stage as the honoree; the man of the hour was Rashid Johnson, whose evocative, multidisciplinary work has reshaped contemporary dialogues on identity, materiality, and cultural history.
Nearly 700 guests gathered in West Palm Beach for the black-and-white-themed event, with producer David Monn using digital projection mapping to envelop attendees in a dynamic light show. Sotheby’s chairman Oliver Barker led an auction, which featured coveted works by Sol LeWitt, Claes Oldenburg, Zanele Muholi, Anastasia Samoylova, and Johnson himself, among others. The five live lots alone garnered nearly $1.4 million, drawing bidders from across the globe.
With a guest list spanning artists, collectors, and cultural luminaries—including Beth Rudin DeWoody, Aerin Lauder, and Jane Holzer—the evening underscored the Norton's role as a hub for contemporary art on the East Coast. As the final bids closed and glasses were raised, "One Night at the Norton" proved to be more than a gala—it was a testament to the museum’s ever-growing impact on the international art scene.
