Karlie Kloss, Princess Beatrice Berggruen Prize Gala: PHOTOS

The Third Annual Berggruen Prize Gala honored philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum with the $1 million Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture last night at the New York Public Library. The Prize is given annually to recognize thinkers whose ideas have profoundly shaped human self-understanding and advancement in a rapidly changing world. This marks the second year in a row that the prize has been awarded to a woman.

Karlie Kloss, Princess Beatrice of York, Wendi Deng Murdoch and many more stepped out last night to attend the illustrious event.

Daniela's Lens was there to capture all the action.

6:30 pm

I'm at the delivery entrance of the New York Public Library with the other photographers and press people waiting to get escorted inside by the PR.

I'm happy to see that my photographer colleagues tonight are some of the easiest to work within the industry. There will be no crazy fighting; instead, it will be a lot of fun!

6:42 pm

The cocktail hour is set up in the main entrance hall. In the center of the room is a beautiful Christmas tree. All the press people Instagram the hell out of it for at least 15 minutes. And then it's time to get to work.

7:01 pm

The event is packed with billionaires. And I'm not exaggerating here — Eric Schmidt (13 billion), Jon Oringer (1 billion), Nicolas Berggruen (1.7 billion), all the Rockefellers (3 billion), just to name a few. There is probably a total of 30 billion dollar net worth drinking champagne in this room right now. That's about the state income of Luxembourg.

7:12 pm

Wendi Deng Murdoch looks great tonight!

7:15 pm

It's not the first time that I'm at an event with very wealthy people, of course. Actually, I'm doing this kind of thing every other night, camera in my hand, wearing a $40 H&M dress I bought four years ago and a pair of heels I got on sale for $25. One glass of champagne here is probably worth more than everything I'm wearing tonight combined.

There are moments I forget all of this. Because billionaires are very normal people - most of the time. Talking to them isn't different than talking to the lady scrubbing the restroom floor at Penn station. I never feel intimidated - not with billionaires and not with A-list celebrities. And I never feel underdressed for some reason.

Maybe it's because I grew up in Germany and nobody gives a thing about famous people there, ever. Or maybe it's because I worked 20 years in the tech industry and I never spent a single thought on looks, fame or vast amounts of money. Maybe it's because I really don't care what they think of me.

Unfortunately, I care a lot about the screaming fest I just had with one of my roommates about bringing home a new guy every other week. And I'm wrong about it. I'm just jealous, and I shouldn't be so upset and let her have fun instead of being an old hag about it.

Anyway.

Back to the billionaires. Of course, there are exceptions. There are terribly spoiled billionaires, and there are very entitled A-listers, especially the ones who rose to fame quickly and recently (often Soundcloud rappers, but more about that in another post).

Let's talk about rich people who lost their minds. A few weeks ago I attended an event where billionaire socialites bought 100k fur coats that came with their own security guard as if they are in the supermarket picking up a carton of milk.

That same night I got on the PATH back to my home in the crappier part of Jersey City and saw dozens of homeless people sleeping on the train. 100k could give all of them housing for a year.

7:22 pm

Tonight, Nicolas Berggruen honors Martha C. Nussbaum with the $1 million Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture. And that's a good thing. She is a philosopher with a particular interest in ethics, feminism and animal rights. Philosophers are important to pinpoint what's wrong in the world and give impulses. I might be angry about 100k fur coats, but I certainly can't think about all the aspects of this topic. Martha C. Nussbaum probably can.

7:25 pm

Karlie Kloss is here!
My first thought is: Karlie Kloss is crazy tall! She is literally the tallest person in the room! The internet says she is 6'2 and with high heels, she is probably 6'4?

7:28 pm

My second thought is: Karlie Kloss is a computer nerd! Wait, is she really? And just me doubting it I'm guilty of every single prejudice about beautiful women and tech. I worked in the tech industry, shame on me! I should know better.

7:31 pm

Princess Beatrice! Did I mention how much I love Princess Beatrice? The first time I ever saw her in person was at an event where she totally fanboyed Seal and then photobombed him in front of all the photographers. Here it is:

Something like this literally never happens, ever. I fell in love with her right away.

7:35 pm

Tonight, we are all waiting for her rumored new boyfriend, Edo Mapelli Mozzi. It would be the first photo of the two of them together. But he is not here.

The next morning I'll get contacted by newspapers from all over Europe asking me if I have photos of them. I do not.

Beatrice, in case you are reading this: I love you very very much! And can I pleeease get an exclusive with you and your boyfriend?

Ok, I tried.

7:38 pm

Beatrice says hello to Karlie.

7:42 pm

Gorgeous!!

7:44 pm

Nicolas Berggruen, the German billionaire and investor with Karlie Kloss.

7:46 pm
I see Jon Oringer, the founder and CEO of Shutterstock, in the crowd.

"He is not doing the carpet tonight." the PR tells me.

7:52 pm

And one last shot of Karlie Kloss and Wendi Deng Murdoch together!

Daniela Kirsch is an entertainment photographer and founder of NameFace — an event photo agency based in New York City. Through her creative expertise and unique visual style, Kirsch not only knows more than a thing or two about photographing A-list events, but is forever changing the way we interact with the entertainment industry. In June 2018, Kirsch teamed up with Patch to launch the photo series Daniela's Lens, offering weekly features from local events to red carpet magic.

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