May greeted AFMO patrons in New York with fine weather and a visit to the Frieze art fair. Hosted again at The Shed in Manhattan, the fair brought together more than 60 galleries from 25 countries and offered a snapshot of the world’s leading contemporary art, including some of the most sought-after established and emerging artists.

In Paris, the Impressionist season continued with tours of Robert Ryman: The act of looking at the Musée de l’Orangerie and Paris 1874. Inventing Impressionism at the Musée d’Orsay.

The cornerstone of AFMO’s May program was a festive multi-day celebration of Impressionism, which began on May 5 with an exclusive cocktail and dinner at the Orsay in support of the Museum and its Paris 1874 exhibition. This fundraising evening afforded guests a private visit to Paris 1874. Inventing Impressionism and featured an elegant cocktail and dinner created by Alain Ducasse’s team.

The following day, a group of AFMO patrons embarked on a six-day trip to Normandy, arriving first in Honfleur, the hometown of Eugène Boudin, and settled at La Ferme Saint-Siméon, a farmhouse once beloved by many 19th-century painters, including Monet, Sisley, and Courbet. After tracing Boudin’s steps with a walk along Vieux-Bassin, the Old Harbor, guests were treated to an insightful private tour of the Musée Eugène Boudin, led by Stéphane Guégan, curator and scientific advisor to the President of Musées d’Orsay et l’Orangerie. Guests met the owners of the Maison Drouin distillery, where they experienced the living heritage of cider- and calvados-making.

Continuing the journey through Normandy, AFMO patrons were welcomed in Le Havre by Géraldine Lefebvre, director of the Musée d’art moderne André Malraux (MuMA). They toured the harbor site where Monet painted his emblematic Impression, soleil levant and gleaned insights into the artist’s life and inspirations by visiting Villa Le Coteau, his aunt’s home, and “Le Bout du Monde” —locations immortalized in his paintings. A visit to Le Havre delved into the city’s poignant history, notably its post-WWII reconstruction led by Auguste Perret, the architect whose innovative use of concrete reshaped the war-torn city, which today is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Perret’s iconic Église Saint-Joseph stands as a beacon of hope and rebirth for the city. Guests stopped in Deauville to visit Les Franciscaines, a unique museum, media library, and concert hall which provided the perfect backdrop for the remarkable exhibition Zao Wou-Ki – Alleys of Another World featuring the triptych Hommage à Claude Monet. Heading west, AFMO guests stopped at Bayeux where they viewed the famed medieval Bayeux Tapestry and admired the architecture of the city so pivotal to the events following D-Day in 1944.

The trip’s most solemn moment took place at Colleville-sur-Mer, where guests paid tribute to the bravery and sacrifices of the soldiers at the Normandy American Cemetery. Established by the US First Army and managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission, the American Cemetery stands as a solemn tribute to the valor and sacrifice of those who fought in World War II.

That night, in celebration of French-American friendship, hosts Nicolas and Diane hosted an elegant dinner in their 18th century château in the Cotentin bocage. The following morning, the group headed to Sainte-Mère-Eglise, home to the Airborne Museum and famous for the paratrooper who landed on the bell tower in the early hours of June 6. The day ended with a stroll on Utah Beach, followed by a tour of its museum and a stop at Angoville-au-Plain whose church was turned into an aid station on D-Day. Its benches still bear the blood stains of the wounded 80 years later. A final moving note to end a very special trip to Normandy.

All images © AFMO