Glitzy Louvre benefit glams up Paris museum

[June 15, 2011]  PARIS (AP) -- Royalty, A-listers and deep-pocketed philanthropists sipped flutes of Champagne as they ambled among priceless works of art on Tuesday, when the world famous Louvre Museum rolled out the red carpet for a glitzy charity gala.

The museum closed early to the public to receive Prince Albert II of Monaco, actress Diane Kruger and about 300 other well-heeled guests at the "Liaisons au Louvre" charity gala, organized by Houston-based philanthropist Becca Cason Thrash.

After a leisurely cocktail, where guests in tuxes and evening gowns were free to wander the private chambers once belonging to Louis IV, dinner was served in a covered sculpture garden.

But the big event of the evening was the concert by Grammy-winning pop singer Janet Jackson, who was slated to perform beneath the glass panels of the museum's pyramid, by I.M. Pei. The concert, which was to take place after the dinner and a brief auction, was to be the first-ever such event at the Louvre -- which is widely regarded as one of the world's top museums.

"Americans have done so much for culture here in France. They saved Versailles and Giverny," Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand told The Associated Press, referring to the sprawling royal palace in the Paris suburb of Versailles and the home of Impressionist painter Claude Monet in the northern Normandy region. "I can only applaud the work done by Mrs. Thrash, who's one of those marvelous Americans who put so much time and effort into saving the precious things we're lucky enough to have in this country."

Tuesday's gala capped three days of festivities for most of the attendees, including a dinner at the American ambassador's residence and a trip to a chateau outside Paris.

Elizabeth Petersen, a Houston fundraiser and longtime friend of Cason Thrash, called the three-day-long festivities "magical."

"It's glamour for a good cause," said Petersen, looking red-carpet-ready in her white pearl and feather-covered gown. "It makes you feel like royalty just being here.

"Plus, we're letting the culture soak in by osmosis," she said, gesturing at the priceless treasures that fill the sprawling museum.

The first "Liaisons au Louvre" gala raised $2.7 million in 2008.

[Associated Press; By JENNY BARCHFIELD]

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