The Phillips Collection Hosts 2025 Annual Gala: Powered by Artists
Mirella and Dani Levinas, Dinga McCannon, and Jarl Mohn–2025 Duncan Phillips Award Recipient, to be honored on May 9
WASHINGTON, DC—The Phillips Collection announces that Mirella and Dani Levinas (posthumously), Dindga McCannon, and Jarl Mohn will be honored at the 2025 Annual Gala: Powered by Artists on May 9. The evening, hosted in the museum’s intimate galleries, celebrates the Phillips’s commitment to advancing art, fostering creativity, and strengthening community engagement. This year’s theme, Powered by Artists, reflects the legacy of museum founder Duncan Phillips and his wife Marjorie, whose vision placed artists and their work at the heart of the museum’s mission.
The Annual Gala brings together diplomatic figures, business leaders, philanthropists, artists, and key members of the Washington, DC community. The event honors distinguished individuals whose commitment to the arts is exemplified through their work and enduring support.
“Each of this year’s honorees has demonstrated a profound commitment to art and its societal impact, embodying the spirit of Duncan and Marjorie Phillips’s vision. We’re honored to celebrate them at this year’s gala,” says Vradenburg Director & CEO Jonathan P. Binstock. “The theme, Powered by Artists, underscores the Phillips’s legacy of placing artists at the center of the museum’s mission, encouraging us to ‘see as artists see.’ It highlights the independent spirit of artists and encourages viewers to appreciate art as both a personal and societal force.”
This year, the museum will honor Jarl Mohn, philanthropist and arts champion, with the 2025 Duncan Phillips Award, the museum’s most prestigious recognition, for his extraordinary support of the arts and contributions to the Los Angeles creative community. The award celebrates living collectors and philanthropists who embody Duncan Phillips’s passion for art and his belief in its vital role in advancing social good. Additionally, the museum will honor Mirella and Dani Levinas (posthumously), whose philanthropic support and art collecting have made a lasting impact at the Phillips and globally, with Dani Levinas having served as Chair of the Phillips Board of Trustees. Dindga McCannon, a mixed-media artist and co-founder of the Where We At Black Women Artists collective, will be recognized for her artistic contributions.
While paying tribute to the evening’s honorees, guests will dine amidst works from the museum’s distinguished collection. The celebrations will continue with an After Party featuring live music, dancing, dessert, drinks, and immersive art activations.
To date, the 2025 Annual Gala has raised over $800,000 to support the Phillips’s innovative and expansive education programs, community engagement initiatives, and dynamic partnerships across DC —all grounded in the principles of equity and accessibility, which ensure that the Phillips is an inclusive organization that welcomes all. These include PK–12 arts integration in education, creative aging through therapeutic art and wellness programs, and partnerships through Phillips@THEARC, the museum’s satellite space in the Town Hall Education and Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC) located in Southeast DC.
JARL MOHN | 2025 DUNCAN PHILLIPS AWARD RECIPIENT
Jarl Mohn will receive the 2025 Duncan Phillips Award for his extraordinary contributions to the arts and his longstanding support of the Los Angeles art community. Mohn’s dedication to fostering creativity and innovation is demonstrated through his significant collection of contemporary art, including pivotal historical works of Minimalism and the “Finish Fetish” and “Light and Space” movements. His philanthropic efforts, including key support for the Hammer Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Mohn Art Collective, have played a vital role in strengthening and expanding the cultural landscape of Los Angeles.
The Duncan Phillips Award was established in 1999 to celebrate the spirit of collection and philanthropy represented by the life of museum founder Duncan Phillips. For more than 50 years, Phillips played a critical role in defining the American tradition of public philanthropy, merging his collecting practices with a commitment to the public interest. Past recipients include David Rockefeller, Leonard Lauder, Monique Barbier-Mueller, HRH Duke of Bavaria Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria von Wittelsbach, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Virginia and Bagley Wright, and Vicki and Roger Sant.
LOCATION
The Phillips Collection
1600 21st St, NW Washington, DC 20009
6:30–9 pm | Reception, dinner, and program
Sold out | Make a donation
9 pm–Midnight | After Party
Purchase After Party tickets
2025 GALA HONOREES
Mirella and Dani Levinas, In Memoriam
Dinga McCannon
Jarl Mohn, 2025 Duncan Phillips Award Recipient
DIPLOMATIC COMMITTEE
H.E. Laurent Bili, Ambassador of France to the US
H.E. Ralf Heckner, Ambassador of Switzerland to the US
The Right Honourable Lord Mandelson PC, His Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador to the United States
H.E. Ángeles Moreno, Ambassador of Spain to the US
H.E. Dr. Kevin Rudd AC, Ambassador of Australia to the US
H.E. Miloslav Stašek, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the US
H.E. Shigeo Yamada, Ambassador of Japan to the US
H.E. Mariangela Zappia, Ambassador of Italy to the US
ARTIST COMMITTEE
McArthur Binion, Marta Pérez García, Sir Isaac Julien KBE RA, linn meyers, Pepón Osorio
GALA COMMITTEE
Beatriz Bolton (Co-Chair), Pamela Kaplan (Co-Chair), Connie Carter, Zoë Charlton, Tami Conetta, Julie Garcia, Soledad Guerra, Barbara Hawthorn, Mariana Levinas Huberman, Matthew Indre, Jennifer Lavinbuk, Gail Lione, Jane Lole, Judy Pomeranz, Brandi Saunders, Beth Smithson, Courtney Toomath-West, Serena Ziskroit
2025 GALA SPONSORS
As of April 8, 2025
Presenting Sponsor
Lugano
Champion
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Beatriz and Graham Bolton & Dosal Family Foundation
Jarl and Pamela Mohn
Partner
The Garcia Family Spotlight Foundation
Total Wine & More
Benefactor
Anonymous
Altria Group
Brown Advisory
Ednah Root Foundation
Daniel W. Hamilton
Christy Kavulic and Akio Tagawa
Kramer Levin
Jane Lole and Steven Sumberg with Randy Zwirn and Russell Katz
Northern Trust
PwC
The Embassy of the State of Qatar in the United States
Risk Strategies Company
Estate of Toni A. Ritzenberg
George Vradenburg
Reid Walker
Supporter
The Alper Family Foundation, Inc
ArentFox Schiff LLP and JM Zell Partners, LTD
Lisa Barry and James Gale
The Burns Group Merrill Lynch
Connie Carter, CØMPASS Real Estate
Chevy Chase Trust
Lindsay and Henry Ellenbogen
GRF CPAs & Advisors
Barbara Hawthorn and Robin Phillips
Bonnie and Harold Himmelman
Gail Lione and Barry Grossman
Mr. Ebrahim and Mrs. Sara Maghsoud
Roger Sant and Doris Matsui
WC Smith
IMAGE: The Phillips Collection 2024 Annual Gala, Photo by Annette Lee Photography
ABOUT THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION
Founded in 1921, The Phillips Collection is a welcoming home for all where the vision and spirit of artists thrive in intimate settings. As the first museum of modern art in the United States, the Phillips houses one of the world’s most celebrated Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and modern art collections, and continues to grow its permanent collection with the work of important living artists. Its distinctive domestically scaled architecture combines three structures built over more than 125 years, among them the former home of the founders, Duncan and Marjorie Phillips. The Phillips’s impact extends nationally and internationally through its diverse, scholarly exhibitions; award-winning education programs for educators, students, and adults; and renowned Phillips Music series. Popular and impactful programs include those focused on art and wellness, its festive monthly Phillips after 5 events, and intimate Living Room talks. Through authentic programs and partnerships at Phillips@THEARC, the museum’s satellite location in Southeast DC, the Phillips extends its reach into Wards 7 and 8 and Prince George’s County, Maryland. The Phillips Collection is a private, non-government museum, supported primarily by donations.