David Monn: The Art of Celebrating

A state dinner at the White House, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, once-in-a-lifetime birthday celebrations--every lucky guest knows that there is no party like a David Monn party. Using scent, sound, sight, touch, and taste, Monn designs events to be "shared, lived, and felt" by everyone there. Monn's three favorite words--authenticity, scale, and detail--inform every chapter of his book, following him from classic New York nights to events around the world and back again to the most private rites of passage, including entertaining at home. How to do this yourself? It means considering your home as not just rooms, but instead as "a living environment," and not thinking of a birthday as a party, but rather "a milestone of accomplishment and growth." Here, Monn draws from his personal archive of 20,000 event photographs to reveal the unique beauty of each event.

David Monn was born in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania. He worked as an interior designer and in the fine jewelry industry before launching his event-planning company. His clients include social leaders from around the world as well as a Who’s Who of brands and institutions. He is frequently invited to lecture at arts and horticultural organizations. He is a contributing editor to Departures magazine and has been featured in numerous luxury and lifestyle publications. He directed and produced two theatrical event productions for the Park Avenue Armory, In the Void and Masquerade. He has served on numerous philanthropic boards, including Arts Connection, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, as well as on planning committees of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the New York Public Library. He has been recognized for his devotion to animals by the Animal Medical Center. He lives in Manhattan.