Previous editions

The 2023 Museum Ball

Record sum of over $2 million raised at the 63rd edition of the Museum Ball. The 1,000 guests of the 63rd edition of the Museum Ball enjoyed an evening immersed in the creative world of visionary artist Marisol (1930-2016) and the exuberance of the 1960s and 1970s.

The MMFA Foundation’s prestigious annual fundraiser, presented by Scotiabank, was once again met with outstanding support from an engaged community. A record sum of more than $2 million was raised to benefit the Museum’s main priority areas: programming, the enrichment of its collection, the maintenance and development of its educational and art therapy programs, and accessibility.

The highly anticipated event was co-chaired by Charles Emond, President and CEO of the CDPQ, and France Margaret Bélanger, President, Sports and Entertainment of Club de hockey Canadiens.

PRISMA - November 26, 2022

The 900 guests invited to the 62nd edition of the Museum Ball were greeted by a vibrant universe full of colour. Dubbed PRISMA and presented by Scotiabank, the MMFA Foundation’s annual fundraising event was once again able to count on the support of a dedicated community. Over $1.2 million in net proceeds were raised in support of the Museum’s top priorities: programming, enhancement of its collections, maintenance and development of educational and wellness programs, and accessibility.

The prestigious event was presented under the honorary chairmanship of Maxime Ménard, President and CEO of Jarislowsky Fraser, with Jean-François Côté, President and CEO of Sharethrough, as co-chair. The fundraiser also celebrated a veritable icon of Quebec culture, multidisciplinary artist Françoise Sullivan, who was guest of honour.

This is Not a Ball - 2021

While culture lovers can (finally) soak up beauty and art at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), its Foundation is still unable to organize the traditional fundraising benefits that help maintain the MMFA’s activities and programs. In light of this situation, the MMFA Foundation is launching the 2021 edition of This is Not a Ball, a philanthropic initiative led by esteemed Co-Chairs Laurent Ferreira, National Bank’s Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Office of the President, and Anne-Marie Hubert, Eastern Canada Managing Partner at EY Canada.

This is Not a Ball is an opportunity to support the Museum while ensuring the gradual and much-needed return of business to downtown Montreal. In fact, companies and individuals who contribute to this year's initiative will receive free tickets, depending on the level of their donation, that they can give to clients, employees or contacts to promote the revitalization of downtown.

This is Not Ball - 2020

Indeed, thanks to the generous contributions of our invaluable donors, the Foundation’s first-ever online auction raised over $215,000! The net proceeds from this first auction were $115,000, as a goal of the event was to sell works by Quebec and Canadian artists and to pay the artists and gallery owners fair market prices for the works, 20 of which are now going to happy art lovers and collectors.

More than 100 people bid on over 70 lots that included a selection of works by local artists as well as exclusive experiences at the Museum and across Quebec to encourage our ecosystem and local economy.

This initiative, which complements the MMFA’s traditional Annual Ball, aims to provide additional and vital funding to help the Museum pursue its artistic and social mission, which is essential to society, particularly in light of the current pandemic.

HARMONIES – 2019 Museum Ball

On November 2 2019, more than 1,000 guests gathered to show their support for the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts at HARMONIES, the Museum Ball organized by the MMFA Foundation. Thanks to the valuable contribution of co-chairs Marc Parent, President and CEO of CAE and Jean Raby, CEO of Natixis Investment Managers, the fundraising soirée raised a record $1,6 million in net proceeds. The Ball highlighted the exemplary philanthropy of Stephan Crétier and Stéphany Maillery, guests of honour at the soirée. The event featured the unveilling of the new Stephan Crétier and Stéphany Maillery Wing for the Arts of One World. Inspired by various cultures from around the world artistic direction of the Ball was provided by Melissa Thompson of Cirque du Soleil’s creative intelligence team. She was supported by scenographer Anne-Séguin Poirier.

The MMFA Foundation would like to thank the approximately 100 volunteers who worked to organize the Ball, as well as the many goods and services partners who helped to significantly reduce production costs, allowing to raise as munch money as possible for the Museum.

NUIT COUTURE – The 2018 Museum Ball

On Saturday, November 3 2018, the MMFA Foundation hosted the 58th edition of the Museum Ball, inspired head-to-toe by the colourful world of fashion. To start the evening off, guests were invited to visit the exhibition Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor. This was followed by a lavish banquet in the Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion and a thrilling evening of dancing.

Co-presided by Mitch Garber, Board Chairman of Invest Canada and of Cirque du Soleil, Isabèle Chevalier, CEO, Bio K+, and Mark Pathy, President, Mavrik Corp., and supported by visionary Steering Committee members Caroline Deitcher, Willamina Leus Martire, Julie Moisan, Louise Racine and Debbie Zakaib, the event raised over $1.5 million for the Museum. The annual Ball is without question the MMFA’s most important fundraising event. Under the youthful and audacious artistic direction of Catherine Nadeau and Melissa Thompson, the 2018 edition certainly struck the imaginations of guests.

WESTERN – The 2017 Museum Ball

2017 Museum ball at the Montreal museum of fine arts attracts more than 900 guests and earns a record net profit of $1.4 million! The 57th Museum Ball of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) filled the room again on Saturday, November 4, with more than nine hundred guests at a soirée inspired by the major exhibition Once Upon a Time… The Western: a New Frontier in Art and Film. Organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Foundation, the event generated a net profit of $1.4 million, a record thus far unrivalled.

Thanks to the determination and dedication of the Co-Presidents of the 2017 edition, Pierre Pomerleau, President and CEO of Pomerleau; François-Charles Sirois, President and CEO, Telesystem; and Kim Thomassin, Executive Vice-President, Legal Affairs and Secretariat, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, supported by the members of the Executive Committee, membres du comité exécutif, Willemina Leus Martire, Julie Moisan, Louise Racine et Alysia Yip-Hoi the Museum Ball turned out to be one of the highlights of the fall season for the Quebec business community. The Museum was delighted to welcome the Abenaki documentary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, O.C., G.O.Q., as guest of honor for this exceptional event.

PEACE - The 2016 Museum Ball

The Museum’s Annual Ball launched the opening ceremonies of the new Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion at for Peace. The co-chairpersons of the evening will be three figures from the business community known for their dynamism and philanthropic commitment: Michael D. Penner, Chairman of the Board of Hydro-Québec; Brian J. Porter, President and Chief Executive Officer of Scotiabank; and Marie-Hélène Sicard, Executive Vice-President, Marketing & Strategic Planning, Sodexo North America.

The co-chairs will bring all their vigour and determination to ensure that the 2016 edition of the Museum Ball is the most important fundraising event in the cultural domain of Montreal, and to support the development of the Museum. This year, the Museum Ball raised $ 1.2 millions! Year after year, the profits garnered from this evening will go towards funding all the MMFA’s activities, including exhibition programming, the production of art books and educational programmes and the acquisition of works of art. These programmes could not exist without the commitment of philanthropists.