Prince Federico Pignatelli Della Leonessa held a star-studded soiree fit for a royal to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of his Pier59 Studios at the Chelsea Piers.
The event was co-hosted by Fern Mallis, creator of New York Fashion Week, and internationally acclaimed photographer Russell James. Over 200 top models attended the event to celebrate two decades of art and beauty at Pier 59 Studios.
Also in attendance were over one thousand people from the fashion industry that included elite guests like Ed Razek President of Victoria's Secret, Mario Sorrenti, Erez Sabag, Elie Tahari, Tiesto, Martha Hunt, Anna Cleveland, R.J. King, Lindsay Ellingson, Paul Haggies, Ymre Stiekema, Alex Von Furstenberg, Ty Hunter, Alex Lundqvist, Oda Marie Midboe, Viktoria Sasonkina, Bregje Heinen, Maxwell, Alina Baikova, Trevor Reckling, Elliot Tebele, Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, Johannes Huebl, Maury Hopson, Ivan Bart, Jonathan Cheban, Countess Luann De Lesseps, Victoria De Lesseps.
Prince Federico Pignatelli della Leonessa was born in Rome, Italy in 1963. He hails from a family of ancient Italian nobles with roots dating back to 900 AD and direct Aristocratic ties to Pope Innocenzo XII. Pignatelli began his career in his home country of Italy as a real estate developer and leading financial journalist in monetary policy, before segueing into prominent careers in international finance in Switzerland and London. After several successful and rewarding years in the investment banking business, Pignatelli decided to follow his enduring passion for photography, leading him to the creation of Pier59 Studios.
"Reflecting back on the past 20 years fills me with tremendous pride. I have been blessed with so many great experiences and have had the honor of sharing these moments with so many incredible people that have touched my life. Pier59 Studios started as a passion project and has manifested truly into an iconic space for creativity in all realization for fashion and advertising in over 50,000 photoshoots. I am thrilled that so many friends and people that are passionate about Pier59 Studios joined me in celebrating its 20th Anniversary, as well as the launch of my new book, The Great Beauty," said Prince Federico Pignatelli della Leonessa, CEO of Art and Fashion Group and Pier59 Studios the world's largest and most renowned photo studio complex.
At the climax of the evening, Federico Pignatelli della Leonessa staged a beautiful white Arabic stallion with a fully nude model perched atop, superbly holding a large white falcon, an homage to beauty and nature as symbolized in Pignatelli's new book The Great Beauty.