“Dignity & zest for life” Saturday, 5. May 2018, 02:00pm

Gerald “Gery” Keszler is the founder and organizer of the Life Ball, a charity event for the benefit of HIV-infected and AIDS-afflicted people.

Gery Keszler trained as a make-up artist in the mid-1980s and in 1986 became a member of Die Agentur.In 1987 he moved to Paris. There Gery Keszler worked for renowned French media (including “Vogue”, “Depeche Mode” and “Marie Claire”) and top international designers such as Thierry Mugler, Vivienne Westwood or Jean-Paul Gaultier as a make-up artist. In 1989 he became self-employed as a make-up artist in Paris and soon became one of the most successful in his field.

At that time, Paris was the city of Europe most affected by AIDS. Keszler was involved in anti-Aids charities like many others in the fashion scene. Together with the designer Thierry Mugler, with whom he also provided George Michael’s video “Too Funky”, Keszler organized a charity event for the Liz Taylor Foundation in Los Angeles.

In 1992, Gery Keszler and Dr. med. Torgom Petrosian founded the association Aids Life, whose main objective is the raising of financial resources, in support of HIV-positive and AIDS-afflicted people. In 1993, the Life Ball – organized and financed – was staged by Gery Keszler for the first time in the Vienna City Hall.