A GREAT HONOUR

For the first time, the Hispanic Society Museum and Library recognised the Philippines by awarding the Zobel de Ayala family the prestigious Sorolla Medal at its annual gala in New York

- Florina Capistrano-Baker

It was a most magical and unforgettable evening. One could almost see John Pierpont Morgan or Cornelius Vanderbilt stepping into the ballroom of the beautiful Metropolitan Club at One E 60th Street in New York City. Strains of Spanish guitar music fused with the scent of fragrant blossoms. The occasion? The Annual Gala of the Hispanic Society of America, hosted by its current chairman, Philippe de Montebello, the legendary former museum director and CEO of New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The elegant gala gathers leading luminaries in philanthropy, arts and culture, business and politics to support the Hispanic Society's mission. It is a glittering occasion when the prestigious Sorolla Medal is awarded to individuals and institutions who have positively impacted the study of Spanish culture in Spain, Latin America and Asia. The 2023 Gala was notable for honouring the Philippines for the first time. Filipino business leader and philanthropist Fernando Zobel de Ayala accepted the Sorolla Medal on behalf of the Philippines' Zobel de Ayala family.

Zobel de Ayala was certainly in distinguished company. His two co-awardees were philanthropist Elle Fontanals-Cisneros of Cuba; and Dr Carlos Zurita, Duke of Soria, who was recognised for work carried out over the years by the foundations he presides over, including the Duques Foundation of Soria of Hispanic Science and Culture, founded in 1989 with his wife, the Infanta Margarita of Spain. The Duke of Soria was accompanied by his children María and Alfonso, while Zobel was accompanied by his wife, Catherine "Kit" Zobel de Ayala, and daughter, Natasha, along with other members of the Zobel family. The formidable list of previous awardees includes HM Queen Sofia of Spain (1988);