NEW YORK, NEW YORK.-Third Annual Madison Avenue: Where Fashion Meets Art Open to the Public on April 29, 2004 and will continue through May 11, 2004. A unique partnership has been formed between Madison Avenue’s most prestigious luxury brand retailers and galleries to promote the 29-block radius from 57th Street to 86th Street as a world-class destination of fashion and art. Open to the public, the 3rd annual Madison Avenue: Where Fashion Meets Art will be held from April 29 - May 11. Organized by the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District (BID), plans for this year’s event are the most impressive to date involving a special collaboration among the flagship boutiques of Madison Avenue to create an exhibition of art and photography selected from local galleries and from the personal collections of the designersHighlights of the art exhibition that will take place in the boutiques and windows along Madison Avenue will be: Whitney 2002 Biennial artists at Calvin Klein; an 18th century Chinese tapestry at Frette; images of New York City by noted fashion photographer, Sheila Metzner at Ralph Lauren; the work of Stephen Weiss, the late husband of Donna Karan at Donna Karan; the fashion photographer Helmut Newton at Wolford; "Gardens of Provence" by Betty Wittwe at Lalique; "Pampered Dogs" by Ray Smith at Fratelli Rossetti; an exhibition by New York photo journalist, Patrick McMullan at Steuben; oil paintings by Ross Bleckner and Philip Taaffe from the private collection of Gianni Versace on view at Versace; oil portraits of women by Kathleen Morris from the Heidi Nuehoff Gallery at Marina Rinaldi; a photograph by Carolina Zorilla de San Martin celebrating the spirit and form of a pregnant woman at A Pea In The Pod; sculptor Louise Nevelson at Chopard and Fabrizio Ferri at Bulgari.

The ultimate 29-block party will be held on Thursday evening, May 2, from 6 - 9 p.m., when participating retailers will host private receptions for their customers to view the art and celebrate "Where Fashion Meets Art". As a fund-raising effort for the Family Art Programs of the Whitney Museum of American Art, a silent auction will also be held in all the participating boutiques for the two weeks of the event. Immediately following the receptions, there will be an After Party and Live Auction of art-inspired designer fashions and jewels at the Whitney, donated by the participating luxury brands to also benefit the Whitney Museum’s Family Art Programs.

The event is chaired by Sylvie Mousseron of Sonia Rykiel, and co-chaired by Gail Winston of Richemont North America, and Nicole Hannafan of Ralph Lauren. The event is supported by American Express. On May 6, participating boutiques will hold private receptions to be followed by an invitation-only after party and silent auction at the Whitney Museum to benefit the Whitney’s Family Programs. Boutiques including Judith Ripka, Kaufmann de Suisse and Lalique have all donated items for the auction.

American Express, the event’s sponsor, will also donate a portion of sales at participating boutiques to the Whitney’s Family Programs.