Acclaimed art historian Marlene Strauss makes her GLAZER HALL debut.  Join us for cocktails and conversation, as she takes a fascinating look at the life of Helena Rubinstein, who escaped the war in Poland to found a cosmetics empire in America.

Born a poor girl in Krakow, Poland, Helena Rubinstein, was fearless and ambitious. In less than twenty years she built a world-renowned empire.  In 1902, she opened her first beauty salon in Melbourne, selling a lanolin-based cream called Valaze given to her by a chemist family friend- she expanded her salons and business to London (1908), Paris (1912), and New York City (1915), building a four-continent cosmetics empire. Along the way she amassed an impressive collection of African art and 20th century paintings and sculpture, which comprised Matisses, Chagalls, Renoirs, Modiglianis, Salvador Dalis and many others—showing she had a remarkable eye for beauty as well as a nose for commerce. When she began her eponymous brand, makeup was the province of “women of the stage” or “women on the street.” But Helena Rubinstein brought beauty to the masses.  When Madame Rubinstein died, women everywhere used her products and took to heart her motto, “Beauty is a Duty!”