The fundraising event for the British Museum’s financial needs was the sole purpose of the party held on Saturday night in various halls of the museum — including the Duveen Gallery, where the Parthenon Sculptures are displayed — provoking, understandably, intense reactions from Greece.

(The tables where the guests dined had filled the hall with the Parthenon Sculptures)

In an effort to increase its revenue, which has been declining in recent years, the museum’s administration conceived the idea of establishing an annual “British-style MET Gala,” where the elite of the business and artistic world would attend for a steep price, helping raise money for the museum’s operations and obligations.

(Sir Mick Jagger together with Melanie Hamrick, his wife since 2014)

For the first “Pink Ball,” as Saturday’s event was named, 800 invitations were issued at £2,000 each — and they sold out. The dress code required formal attire in shades of pink, referencing the museum’s upcoming exhibition on ancient India, sponsored by Indian businesswoman and art patron Isha Ambani, who also co-hosted the gala. Naturally, the evening had a strong Indian flair — from the clothing to the food, drinks, music, and dancing.

(Lady Kitty Spencer, niece of Princess Diana, daughter of the Princess’s younger brother, Earl Charles Spencer, and Victoria Aitken)

Among the high-profile guests were Mick Jagger, Naomi Campbell, Janet Jackson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Manolo Blahnik, and others, who sipped champagne that flowed freely, sampled fine Indian dishes, and danced to a live brass band — all surrounded by priceless artifacts that served as the backdrop.

(Daphne Guinness, fashion pop star and heiress of the famous Guinness family, former wife of Spyros Niarchos and mother of Nicolas Niarchos, who recently married on Spetsopoula Island)

In addition to the expensive tickets, funds were also raised through the auctioning of artworks and gifts, including a pet portrait painted by museum trustee Dame Tracey Emin and a private tour of Coco Chanel’s apartment.

(Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer, twin nieces of Princess Diana, daughters of the Princess’s younger brother, Earl Charles Spencer, and his first wife, former model Victoria Aitken)

At a time when the Acropolis Museum is fully prepared to receive the Parthenon Sculptures and integrate them into their authentic collection—located directly opposite the Sacred Rock—and while talks between the two sides have intensified in recent years to find a feasible solution for their return, British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan is “doing business” with billionaires and leveraging celebrity presence to secure what should be self-evident: the necessary funds to maintain and protect the museum’s priceless treasures. As he himself has openly stated, “The museum’s financial needs require you to be flexible in your thinking and sufficiently entrepreneurial.”

(Rishi Sunak, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, together with his wife and billionaire Akshata Murty)

(Evgenia Niarchos, fashion icon and creator of intricate jewelry, daughter of Philip Niarchos and Victoria Niarchos-Guinness)