Latest news with #VeniceBiennale
USA Today
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez set to tie the knot in wedding ceremony: Live updates
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's star-studded wedding guest list is on their way to the big day. The billionaire Amazon founder and award-winning TV journalist are expected to tie the knot in an extraordinarily lavish Venice wedding, after multiple days of star-studded nuptial events (likely to the relief of the Italian city). Sánchez, 55, waved and blew kisses to onlookers Friday, June 27, as she boarded a sleek motorboat to head to her wedding ceremony while, two hours later, Bezos was snapped waving to the crowd during the spectacle. A-list guests were spotted by photographers on the way to the ceremony including sisters Kim and Khloe Kardashian, their youngest sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner and family matriarch Kris Jenner; Oprah Winfrey, model Brooks Nader; Leonardo DiCaprio and his model girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti; and Bezos' fellow billionaire Bill Gates. Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Kris Jenner arrive for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez wedding The couple's controversial luxury Venetian wedding will have no legal status under Italian law, suggesting the couple may have already legally wed in the United States, avoiding the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage. Bezos' multimillion-dollar affair has drawn ire online and in person, as protests erupt in the region calling for the Blue Origin owner to pay more in taxes amid global frustrations about class and wealth divides. Bezos, 61, and Sánchez were first reportedly linked in 2019, around the same time both parties announced splits from their previous partners. Bezos and his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, with whom he shares four children, split officially that same year. Sánchez was already in the process of divorcing her husband, Patrick Whitesell, with whom she shares two children. She has one more child with former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez, who is expected to attend the ceremony with new wife October "Tobie" Gonzalez. The pair have been side-by-side ever since, with Bezos popping the question to Sánchez on his yacht during a trip to the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023. He hid a box containing a $2.5 million pink engagement ring under her pillow, Sánchez shared with Vogue. In attendance over the course of the wedding festivities were Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, Belgian fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg, Tom Brady, Orlando Bloom, Gayle King and more. President Donald Trump was also reportedly invited but did not attend, The New York Times reported. Before the "I dos," Sánchez hosted Hollywood and nonprofit friends alike at her Paris bachelorette party in May, where Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Eva Longoria and Katy Perry were among those in attendance. After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds and their guests are expected to head to a hall of the Arsenale, a renovated maritime area on the outer edge of Venice. The vast 14th-century complex in the eastern Castello district, known for hosting the Venice Biennale art fair, is surrounded by water and impossible to reach by land when connecting bridges are raised. Contributing: Saman Shafiq, Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY; Reuters
Mint
21 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
The art market needs a boost. It thinks the Middle East is the answer.
Auction houses, dealers and advisers are betting on the Middle East to play an outsized role in the next art-market turnaround. Despite a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Iran and unstable pockets elsewhere in the region, the art world thinks it's time to capitalize on the Middle East as a major art destination. Sotheby's conducted its first sale in Saudi Arabia a few months ago, after receiving an infusion of around $1 billion from Abu Dhabi sovereign-wealth fund ADQ last year. Swiss art fair Art Basel is preparing to launch its next edition in Qatar, the tiny emirate that also recently landed a coveted spot to build a permanent national pavilion in the garden of the prestigious Venice Biennale. Private art-consulting firms are already cozying up to the region's sovereign families who have long championed and sometimes bankrolled various cultural festivals and institutions. 'Even though we're at a particular dark spot politically, the Gulf states are super dedicated to creating an arts sector in their economies, so we see real opportunity there," said Ed Dolman, a former chief executive of Christie's and Phillips auction houses who is eyeing the region's art-market potential. The push comes as mainland China's economic volatility has largely compelled that country to slow down the pace of its frenzied museum-building boom that saw more than 1,500 new spaces open across the country between 2009 and 2014, according to the China Museums Association. Some of its billionaire collectors have similarly ended their shopping sprees, with private museums like the Long Museum even auctioning off some of its art holdings. While art-related tourism across Asia Pacific hasn't disappeared entirely, topping $18 billion last year, according to California-based research firm Grand View Research, dealers say it's unclear if China will once again dominate the top end of the art market like it did before the pandemic. To fill the vacuum, art-world insiders are exploring alternative art hubs, including South Korea and the Middle East. The Middle East is still confronting the continuing war between Israel and Gaza as well as juggling diplomatic tensions elsewhere, but the region is also well-funded by oil-rich states who are eager to assume the mantle of global cultural clout. For decades, several sovereign families across the Gulf have been building museums and extending arts education for its own while lobbying for local artists to get international attention. Art-related tourism in the Middle East and Africa surpassed $3 billion last year and is projected to reach $3.6 billion by decade's end, the Grand View firm said. Dolman, who once advised the Qatari royal family, is the latest rainmaker to rejoin the art hunt in the Middle East, joining forces this week with several other auction veterans to launch an art-management consulting firm with the region's potential in mind. The firm, New Perspectives Art Partners, will cater to major art trusts and estates while also appealing to Gulf State sovereign families and collectors globally, Dolman said. The others in the new firm include Philip Hoffman, a major art-backed lender and founder of the Fine Art Group; Brett Gorvy, a former Christie's executive and co-founder of gallery Lévy Gorvy Dayan; and Patti Wong, a former Sotheby's expert known for representing Asian billionaires. Also joining is Dolman's son, Alex Dolman, a former auction specialist at Sotheby's and Phillips who said he's been cultivating ties to collectors in the Middle East privately for years. He has identified a new generation of younger buyers in the region who want to support their favorite regional artists while also collecting internationally. 'Understanding what they want and having that local expertise matters," the younger Dolman said. (Each of the firm's partners will keep their day jobs but agree to work under the new firm's mantle on client-related projects.) Looking ahead, more buyers—and artists—are expected to spring up across the Middle East as well as North Africa and India. Noah Horowitz, chief executive of Art Basel, said this week that he remains '100% committed" to launching Basel's next fair in Doha, Qatar, next February. 'We are leaning into a region where a huge amount of work has been done already, and we just want to accelerate the market there," he said. Horowitz said Art Basel Qatar will start small, with around 50 galleries, and five galleries with ties to the region participated in its flagship fair last week in Switzerland. Art Basel gave its best emerging artist award last week to Mohammad Alfaraj, a multidisciplinary artist from eastern Saudi Arabia who makes poetic work using palm fronds and dates. Alfaraj currently has a show at Dubai's Jameel Arts Centre. All of this is giving the region a watch-this-space atmosphere that's been largely missing as the market has endured a slump for the past two years. Market makers can seize on a new locale to scout and a new collector base to court. On Tuesday, Sotheby's held a major London summer sale, and it said a Middle Eastern collector won Yu Nishimura's 'Through the Snow," for $400,000, four times its high estimate. Qatar, a cultural pioneer in the region, has already enlisted Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh to design its own permanent pavilion within the garden complex of the next Venice Biennale. Qatar is only the third nation in the past half-century after Australia and South Korea to be granted space in the Biennale's Giardini. The Biennale is the art-world equivalent of the Olympics. 'It's a clear sign of lasting intent," Horowitz added. Write to Kelly Crow at
Newsweek
a day ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez Wedding—Everything Know About Venice Celebration
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Billionaire couple Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are tying the knot in Venice this weekend. Here's what we know about the high-profile nuptials and multi-day celebrations. Where and When Is Jeff Bezos' and Lauren Sanchez's Wedding? Amazon founder Bezos, 61, and former journalist Sanchez, 55, have planned several wedding events this weekend. The exact location of their wedding has not been disclosed, although Reuters and the Associated Press reported the couple will exchange vows on the small island of San Giorgio on Friday. The event is speculated to be ceremonial and not a legally binding wedding ceremony. The wedding reception is scheduled to take place on Saturday at the Arsenale, an ancient complex of former shipyards and armories located on the eastern side of the historic center. The location is used as an exhibition space for the Venice Biennale art fair. The couple, staying at the five-star Aman hotel, welcomed guests Thursday night in Venice, Italy, before sharing a kiss and departing by water taxi through the famous "City of Canals." Reuters estimated the wedding cost between $46 million and $56 million. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez head to their wedding welcome party on June 26, 2025 in Venice, Italy. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez head to their wedding welcome party on June 26, 2025 in Venice, Italy. KGC-34/STAR MAX/IPx 2025/AP Images Celebrities Attending Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Wedding The A-list guest roster is expected to include more than 200 people from a range of industries, including politics, entertainment, technology, and finance. US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, center, and her husband Jared Kushner, rear left, arrive in Venice, Italy, Thursday, June 26, 2025, ahead of Jeff Bezos' wedding. US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, center, and her husband Jared Kushner, rear left, arrive in Venice, Italy, Thursday, June 26, 2025, ahead of Jeff Bezos' wedding. AP Photo/Luigi Costantini Several notable figures will be in attendance, including Ivanka Trump, the first daughter, and her husband, Jared Kushner. Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, Bill Gates, and members of the Kardashian-Jenner family, including Kim, Khloe, Kris, Kylie, and Kendall, all arrived on Thursday. Other guests include Leonardo DiCaprio, Sarah Foster, Tommy Hilfiger, Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan, Andy Jassy, Karlie Kloss, Queen Rania of Jordan, Mick Jagger, Usher, Sarah Staudinger, Edward Enninful, Vittoria Ceretti, Natasha Poonawalla, among others. On Thursday, guests were guided through the canals via water taxis to bring them to the Madonna dell'Orto cloister in the Cannaregio district. Venice Locals Protest Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Wedding Locals, including the group "No Space for Bezos," have protested the couple's lavish wedding, citing concerns of over-tourism to the city and exploitation by billionaires. The group threatened to disrupt the ceremony. However, city officials have backed the wedding as an economic and reputational benefit to the city. Who Were Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Married to Before? Bezos and Sanchez were both married to other spouses, with both marriages ending in 2019. The Blue Origin founder was married to philanthropist Mackenzie Scott in 1993, and the couple shares four children. Sanchez was wed to Patrick Whitesell, the executive chair of talent firm Endeavor, in 2005. They have two children together. Whitesell has remarried. Sanchez had her first son with her ex-boyfriend and former Kansas City Chiefs player Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez will be in attendance. Timeline of Jeff Bezos' Relationship with Lauren Sanchez Several media outlets reported that Bezos and Sanchez were dating in early January 2019. The couple was seen multiple times throughout their romance, including at the 2019 Wimbledon Men's Tennis Championship. Four years after they began dating, in May 2023, Bezos proposed to Sanchez in France with a large cushion-cut diamond ring that People estimates to be about 30 carats. The couple has been engaged for two years.
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Wedding: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Oprah and other stars spotted in Venice for pre-wedding celebrations
The grand wedding celebrations of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez have officially begun in the romantic city of Venice. The couple, who is set to take the plunge this weekend, had their family, celebrity friends and several business magnets arrive in the city on Thursday to join them in getting the celebrations started. The three-day nuptial festivities kicked off on Thursday evening, with guests dressed in sunnting ensembles as they zipped across the city's famed waterways in speedboats and water taxis. A-list attendees were seen arriving earlier in the day, setting off a media frenzy. The bride and groom lead the way with Jeff suited up in brown while the bride-to-be opted for a fashion-forward Schiaparelli dress. The dashing groom was seen helping his lady love on the boat and waving to the press gathered outside the hotel. The couple smiled and waved to those outside the venue and even shared a kiss while on the boat. Hollywood actor and good friend Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted trying to keep a low profile as he made his way onto a boat, while girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti followed in a stunning flowing gown. Reality TV moguls Kim and Khloe Kardashian were spotted stylishly climbing into water taxis in towering stilettos. While they were at it, Khloe was seen turning the ride into a photo op by posing for a selfie. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If you have a mouse, play this game for 1 minute Navy Quest Undo Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey was also seen looking stunning in a printed dress. Sisters Kendall and Kylie were also spotted making stylish appearances as they hitched a ride together to the celebrations. Kylie was seen kicking off the party early by brining along a glass of wine for the trip to the venue. Other high-profile names joining the celebration include Jordan's Queen Rania, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates . Actor Orlando Bloom was spotted for the first time since news broke of his break-up from partner Katy Perry . NFL icon Tom Brady, Ivanka Trump , singer Usher and designer Spencer Antle were also spotted at the venue. While the exact details of the wedding remain under wraps, according to various reports, the weekend will feature a series of gatherings at exclusive venues, including the San Giorgio island and the Arsenale district, home to the Venice Biennale. Security is tight across the lagoon city with Police patrols on jet skis seen circling the canals near the church venue. This will be Bezos and Sánchez's second strut down the aisles. Bezos was previously married to MacKenzie Scott for 25 years until their high-profile divorce in 2019. That separation remains one of the most expensive in history, with Scott receiving 25% of Bezos' Amazon stake—an asset that now places her among the world's top 100 richest people, with a net worth estimated at $30 billion. Sanchez finalised her divorce from talent agent Patrick Whitesell the same year.
Global News
3 days ago
- Business
- Global News
Bezos wedding venue changed due to ‘inflatable crocodile' threat, says protester
Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos has reportedly had to change one of his wedding event venues in Venice after a group of protesters threatened to block the canals surrounding the location with inflatable crocodiles, according to The Guardian. The tech billionaire and his wife-to-be, Lauren Sanchez, a former journalist, were supposed to host a wedding party at the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a historic building dating back to the 1300s, but pivoted at the last minute amid protest and safety concerns, reports the U.K. outlet. The venue change was also due in part to security concerns, after the U.S. bombed Iran, and because President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, is in Venice for the wedding. Venetian authorities have increased security throughout the city, particularly in the Jewish neighbourhood, the British outlet added. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos are seen in Venice days before their wedding. Ernesto Ruscio / GC Images Activists say they will not try to stop the wedding but will organize a 'no Bezos, no war' march instead. 'We feel as if we scored a victory,' one activist, whom the Guardian did not name, said. 'The crocodile initiative would have given a bad impression of the city — this is why the venue was changed, even if the authorities might try to claim it was because of the war.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The couple will now host their guests at Arsenale di Venezia, a fortified 14th-century complex of shipyards in the eastern Castello district, Reuters reported. The new location is only accessible by boat and impossible to reach by land when the connecting bridges are raised. The large shipyard used to serve the Venetian Republic's maritime empire. Now the Arsenale has been restored and converted into an exhibition space for the Venice Biennale art fair. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen The historical building of Scuola Grande della Misericordia in Venice, Italy. Getty Images For weeks, some residents and activist groups have been complaining that the days-long wedding will turn the scenic city into a private playground for the rich and famous, and have repeatedly threatened peaceful protests under the slogan 'No space for Bezos.' Greenpeace Italia and the British activist group Everyone Hates Elon are also part of the protests; they say they joined to bring attention to the 'social and climate injustice' of such events. View image in full screen A graffiti reading 'No Space for Bezos' is pictured on June 13, 2025, in a bar in Venice where billionaire Jeff Bezos will marry his fiancée, journalist Lauren Sanchez, at the end of the month. ANDREA PATTARO/AFP via Getty Images While the exact date, time and location of the wedding ceremony remain under wraps, it is expected to take place between Thursday and Saturday, with approximately 200 guests arriving on an estimated 95 private jets in the coming days. The list reportedly includes the likes of Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk. Story continues below advertisement The couple are rumoured to be exchanging vows at the Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore on Friday. Venice is accustomed to hosting high-profile events, and celebrity weddings, perhaps its most notable to date being George and Amal Clooney's in 2014. Venice's sprawling waterways and ancient architecture also attract swaths of international visitors, with some 20 million tourists pouring into the city annually. In March, the mayor assured that Venice is equipped to manage the logistical responsibilities of hosting the Bezos-Sanchez wedding. 'We are mutually working and supporting the organizers to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city,' Luigi Brugnaro told People. In recent days, a section of what appears to be the couple's wedding invitation has been circulating online. ABC News shared what it says is a snippet asking guests not to bring gifts, and that the couple plans to make donations to the UNESCO Venice Office, CORILA, a local wildlife charity and the Venice International University. View image in full screen A snippet from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding invitation asking guests not to bring gifts. ABC News — With files from Reuters
