TROPHEE DES ARTS GALA to Celebrate Jacques Grange & Fabrice Grinda

NEW YORK, Nov. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ On Friday, December 5th 2014, the French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF www.fiaf.org) will present acclaimed French interior designer Jacques Grange with the 2014 Trophee des Arts and Internet entrepreneur Fabrice Grinda with the 2014 Pilier d'Or at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.

The annual FIAF Trophee des Arts gala evening will raise fundsto support FIAF's educational and cultural programs and is co-chaired by Lauren Santo Domingo, Jeremy Levine, and Robert G. Wilmers.

"By honoring Jacques Grange and Fabrice Grinda, FIAF celebrates style and vision," explains FIAF President Marie-Monique Steckel. "Style because they both have developed an acute sense of turning life into art; vision because they both help define what our world of tomorrow will look like."

Jacques Grange, 2014 Trophee des Arts

Known in New York for designing the Mark Hotel, the acclaimed French interior designer Jacques Grange is sought after for his innate sense of style, as comfortable as it is chic. His masterful approach to design, blending traditional and contemporary tastes, has won commissions from the world's most exacting style-makers, including Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Princess Caroline of Hanover, and many private clients in the US, including Ronald Lauder.

Early in Grange's career, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge called upon him to design their chateau in Normandy and iconic home in Marrakech. Combining good taste and audacity, Jacques Grange has brought a unique style to both sides of the Atlantic.

Created in 1992, the Trophee des Arts distinguishes an artist who exemplifies FIAF's mission of French-American friendship and cross-cultural exchange. It has been bestowed upon French and American artists and cultural icons, including Lauren Bacall, Alain Ducasse, Isabelle Huppert, Marc Jacobs, James Ivory, Quincy Jones, Angelique Kidjo, Christian Lacroix, Louis Malle, Philippe de Montebello, Charlie Rose, Robert Wilson, and most recently Francois Cluzet.

Fabrice Grinda, 2014 Pilier d'Or

Fabrice Grinda is a young visionary French internet entrepreneur, whose brilliance and ambition are an inspiration to everyone he encounters. As an undergraduate at Princeton, he won the top prize in economics. Now a "Superangel" with more than 100 active investments in his portfolio, Grinda is a worldwide investor who has successfully operated and invested in businesses on four continents.

Since 1998 his passion for creating, experimenting, and innovating has driven him to co-found Aucland S.A., one of the top three auction sites in Europe; and OLX, one of the principal free local classified sites in the world. Every year, Grinda invests in up to 40 new projects, embodying a true entrepreneurial spirit.

The Pilier d'Or recognizes a leading business figure, diplomat or philanthropist for outstanding contributions to the French-American community. Former honorees include Pierre Bellon (Sodexo), Thierry Breton (ATOS), Bertrand Collomb (Lafarge), Paul Desmarais Jr. (Power Corporation of Canada), Carlos Ghosn (Renault-Nissan Alliance), Jean-Bernard Levy (Vivendi), Christophe de Margerie (TOTAL), and Bernard Poussot (Wyeth).

SOURCE FIAF