A Who's Who's Who of artists and collectors gathered in New York last May to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the American Patrons of Tate. Founded in 1987 with an endowment from Sir Edwin Manton and a mandate to acquire North and South American art for the illustrious British museum, the group has since raised more than $100 million. On that single night in May another $1.5 million was raised, and artworks valued at $5 million were donated-including paintings by John Currin, Ellen Gallagher, Ellsworth Kelly, Susan Rothenberg, Richard Tuttle, and Terry Winters. Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a chair of the event, described her job of gathering the key figures as easy. "The event stood on the shoulders of all the years Nick Serota has traveled to the artists' shows around the world and the time he's spent with the collectors and patrons, all of whom have great respect for him." Donald and Catie Marron were also drawn to the Tate through their friendship with Serota, the museum's director. "The Tate is doing extraordinary Things. Not only do they build great museums, but they are kept accessible—admission is mostly free," says Donald, "It's a global world, both in terms of artists and collectors.... And it's important for artists to be seen in different contexts—to bring the Tate to America and America to the Tate." The number and range of artists who attended the event illustrate the significance of the artists' and patrons' relationship to the museum. For Tate patron and event chair Jeanne Donovan Fisher the great joy of the evening was watching the artists interact. "They were so happy to see each other—rarely are they all together." Lady de Rothschild agrees: "We had the best of everything in that room ... people whose generosity was not just notable but colossal."