Annie Watt Shows Celebrity and Society Photographs in NYC

Acclaimed celebrity and society photographer Annie Watt—one of the small group who not only cover the big social events but are welcomed into the inner sanctums of the Hamptons, New York and Palm Beach elite—is having her first solo show, Impromptu Portraits, at Galerie Dumonteil in Manhattan. The invitation-only opening reception will be held on Tuesday, December 9 from 6–8 p.m., hosted by members of the social glitterati, including Geoffrey Bradfield, Barbara and Donald Tober, Gillian and Sylvester Miniter, Eleanora and Michael Kennedy and Ambassador John Loeb and Sharon Handler Loeb

Exhibitions will follow at the Dumonteil galleries in Paris and Shanghai.

Impromptu Portraits will feature imagery of internationally known figures as well as Watt’s photographs of people around the world—all culled from her extensive body of work, comprising more than 950,000 photographs. Stars of stage and screen, social dynamos, power brokers, fashion designers, great chefs and restaurateurs, drag queens and media notables have all been the focus of her lens.

Famous faces appearing in the show include Hamptons celebs and major superstars, such as Bill Clinton, Neil Patrick Harris, Oscar de la Renta, Barbara Walters, Prince Andrew, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Christie Brinkley,  Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Dr. Oz, Henry Kissinger, Hugh Jackman, James Earl Jones, Candice Bergen, Bruce Weber, Hoda Kotb, Kathie Lee Gifford, Catherine Zeta Jones, Hillary Clinton, Donatella Versace, Janet Jackson, Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Gloria Steinem, Itzhak Perlman, Jane Fonda, Jean Shafiroff, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Joan Hornig, Joan Rivers, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Paris Hilton, Robert De Niro, Sirio Maccioni, Sarah, Duchess of York, Sir Elton John, Walt Frazier, Wynton Marsalis, Zubin Mehta and ZZ Top. All of them have posed happily for Watt at the most exclusive galas, premieres and elegant parties.

Curated by Michael McAuliffe, Impromptu Portraits will exhibit in New York before the show travels to Paris and Shanghai. Proceeds from the opening reception will benefit the American Heart Association.

Impromptu Portraits will be on view December 10–January 10 at Galerie Dumonteil, 475 Park Avenue in New York City. Gallery hours are Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. For more info, call 212-840-0475 or visit dumonteil.com.