The British Museum held its inaugural ball on October 18th, marking the launch of a new annual event spotlighting London’s status as a global cultural capital. Co-chaired by arts patron and businesswoman Isha Ambani and the museum’s director, Dr. Nicholas Cullinan OBE, the ball welcomed 900 guests to the museum for the event.
Timed to coincide with Frieze London 2025 and the conclusion of the museum’s exhibition “Ancient India: Living Traditions,” the event adopted a pink theme inspired by the colors and light of India. Ambani, daughter of businesswoman and philanthropist Nita Ambani, described the evening as a “celebration of age-old creativity” and a gesture of cross-cultural connection.
“The British Museum Ball was intended to celebrate London—a city renowned for its arts, culture, creativity, and style,” said Cullinan. “Tonight’s event did just that by bringing together the actors, artists, collectors, creatives, designers, and writers that make our city a cultural powerhouse. In doing so, we continued in the footsteps of the many cultural icons who have come to the British Museum over the past 275 years, from Mozart to Karl Marx, Oscar Wilde to Virginia Woolf.”
The event drew a broad slate of figures from across the arts, including Sir Mick Jagger, Janet Jackson, Naomi Campbell, and Tim Walker. Prominent members of the event’s Ball Committee—such as Edward Enninful OBE and Dame Tracey Emin—were also in attendance, along with artists including Antony Gormley, Sonia Boyce RA, and Sir Grayson Perry. According to The Art Newspaper, the ball was briefly disrupted by a protest. During a speech by museum’s chair of trustees George Osborne, a climate protester took to the stage holding a sign reading “Drop BP now.” In 2023, the museum announced that it would receive £50 million ($67.3 million) from the oil company over 10 years.
Entertainment included a performance by Grammy-nominated sitarist Anoushka Shankar with the Jules Buckley Orchestra, followed by sets by M.I.A. and Tom Odell. A silent auction raised additional funds through lots such as a custom pet portrait by Emin and private museum tours with classics scholar Dame Mary Beard.
