Founder Prince Federico Pignatelli Della Leonessa Commemorated Two Decades of Achievement

NEW YORK, Oct. 29, 2015 — (PRNewswire) — Pier59 Studios, New York City's hub for high-profile fashion, advertising, photo - film production celebrated its 20^th Anniversary with a star-studded event on Tuesday, October 27, 2015. The event was co-hosted by Fern Mallis, creator of New York Fashion Week and internationally acclaimed photographer Russell James.

In attendance, among over one thousand people from the fashion industry were 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, and co-hosts Russell James, Fern Mallis, and CEO of Pier59 Studios, Prince Federico Pignatelli Della Leonessa.

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.

"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 20^th 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.

In addition to celebrating Pier59 Studios' 20^th anniversary, Federico Pignatelli also previewed the film video of the The Great Beauty, that he directed, and a video backstage of a realization of the film and the book directed by Patrick De Warren. A unique publishing product, The Great Beauty, is the first book to use images taken in a traditional way, (Hasselblad digital camera) and extracted from the 6K RED Dragon a high-resolution video camera. www.Thegreatbeautyvideo.com

Guests also had the opportunity to make donations, by buying 200 copies at a starting price of $200 The Great Beauty in advance of it worldwide distribution in Spring 2016, dedicated and signed by the author.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC), is an organization which is currently on the front lines providing relief for the Syrian, Middle East and North African wars and refugee crisis. 

In addition to raising funds by selling the book The Great Beauty, Pier59 Studios also captured guests in one of the photo studios with 24x20 Polaroids. This special large format Polaroid camera is one of the only three functioning in the world. The proceeds from these unique images was also donated to the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

As George Wayne commented, "When Federico asked me to pen the Foreword to his distinct masterpiece - this absorbing homage to feminine pulchritude - I was beyond overwhelmed with anticipation and joy and some trepidation, because I knew how much this particular project meant to him and I knew I had to get it right. The images provided the succor and inspiration and as such the prose just flowed.  It is a great honor to have been asked to be a part of The Great Beauty.  It's a timeless, well-conceived classic that I know will find a home amongst the chicest coffee tables and book cases across the globe."

"I'm thrilled to have co-hosted the 20th anniversary event celebration for Pier59 Studios. In this crazy and exciting fashion world, everything changes so fast and we keep moving on to the next 'everything', but Pier59 has endured and stayed relevant and vital for 20 years and that's definitely worthy of a celebration of all the talented professionals who have worked within their walls.  I look forward to the next 20 years collaborating with my colleague Christina Neault and CEO Federico Pignatelli," says Fern Mallis, creator of New York Fashion Week.

Co-Host, Russell James said, "I cannot count the number of times I have worked with Pier59 Studios on numerous fashion, celebrity and beauty campaigns. My favorite memory of working with Federico Pignatelli della Leonessa, is when we worked on the numerous Victoria Secret campaigns over the years."

Steven Sebring the creator of the "Revolution Booth" was on hand with two REVOLUTION photo booths to capture 3 dimensional interactive images of the crowd. The REVOLUTION BOOTHS are self-contained, fully automated, and work seamlessly with social media.

DJ Bill Coleman spun tracks until midnight and DJ Donna D Cruz was the special guest. A full champagne bar was provided by Australia's Bird in Hand Bird sparkling wine in the VIP area, and DJ, and Ruffino Winery offered red and white wine, while BiVi Vodka created and served two specialty cocktails.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the 20^th Anniversary celebration of Pier59 Studios, an iconic New York venue," shared Rich DeCicco, CEO of BiVi Sicilian Vodka, a subsidiary of Iconic Brands. "We will be creating and serving two signature cocktails for this event including A Bronx CockTale, a recipe dedicated to the brand's spokesperson, legendary actor and celebrity, Chazz Palminteri, and The BiVi "Share An Olive" Martini."

J.R. Revelry® created three classic cocktails for the event as well as serving J.R. Revelry® on the rocks. J.R. Revelry® was created by Jesus Ricardo, as a result of his passion for American Whiskey, bringing his spirits expertise and Latino heritage to this new brand.  The name J.R. Revelry comes from Rick's initials, J.R., and the Revelry comes from the atmosphere of celebration that this whiskey should engender.

Federico Pignatelli Della Leonessa
Federico Pignatelli Della Leonessa began his career in his home country of Italy as a real estate developer and leading financial journalist specializing in international monetary policy before segueing into prominent careers in international finance in Switzerland and London. In 1987, Pignatelli brought his skills as an investment banker to New York. After working as a Managing Director for several major investment banking and brokerage firms including E.F. Hutton, Ladenburg & Thalmann, and Gruntal Co., Pignatelli founded his own bicoastal American technology based investment-banking firm under the name EuroCapital Partners. After several successful and rewarding years in the investment banking business, Pignatelli decided to follow his enduring passion for photography, leading him to create Pier 59 Studios in 1995 and to creating his new book The Great Beauty, previewed at the 20^th anniversary event. At heart, Pignatelli is a designer and architect. Starting with Peir59 Studios, his two homes in New York and Los Angeles and finally his two yachts, Pignatelli redesigned the concept and interior. These pieces also feature interior design and furniture conceived and executed almost entirely by himself. For more information please visit www.FedericoPignatellidellaLeonessa.com .