It's a heady time for art lovers around here, and the gathered friends of Serge and Tatiana Sorokko included Mark Leno; Mayor Gavin Newsom and Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom; San Francisco Film Commission chief Stefanie Coyote and Peter Coyote; Paul Pelosi; Barbara George, member of the California Arts Council and its former chief; Ron George, chief of the California Supreme Court; and designers Ralph Rucci and James Galanos (Tatiana Sorokko writes for Harper's Bazaar and is a former model). Previous winners of this honor include Michael Tilson Thomas, Danielle Steel, Carey Perloff and Roxanne Messina Captor.
"You have succeeded in your art gallery in creating an environment where France, Europe and America have met," Desagneaux told the Russian-born art dealer, "creating a dialogue and offering a unique opportunity to many French artists." Peter Coyote praised his friend Sorokko, who had immigrated to the United States from Russia almost 30 years ago, as a man who arrived from Russia with "an image of a life that he wanted to live," and had managed to inhabit that vision. "He's an artist who happens to sell art for a living. What a wonderful irony."
After receiving a medal and three kisses from the consul general, Sorokko quoted Dostoyevsky: "Beauty will save the world." The sentiment was oft repeated during a lavish dinner at Campton Place later, with levels of passion that intensified with each glass of wine consumed by the toasters.
P.S. This party was elegant, sumptuous and extravagant -- and bravo to that -- but there's more to art in San Francisco. Chatted with Leno, whom I'd seen the night before at a 40th anniversary party for the community arts organization the Performing Arts Workshop. California is 50th in all the states in terms of funding for the arts, he said. A bill he'd proposed that would have funded arts groups by adding a tax of something like 10 cents to every $10 spent on a movie ticket was voted down in the state Legislature.
