Subscribe
Business
Affluence Case Study Startups How To
Downtime
Music Film Books
Dress code
Beauty & Style Recommendation Jewelery
Etiquette
How to
Lifestyle
Boardroom Culinary & Cocktails Vacation Real Estate Events: On Location Memorandum City Guide Health & Wellness
Products
Yachts Automobile Tech Savvy
Featured

Black Love At Its Best

Keeping a relationship running smoothly is hard enough without paparazzi, fans and gossip columns hounding you every second. So we thought we would give a nod to those celebrity couples who mix work and play and keep it looking good no matter how hard it becomes.

Here is Monarch’s list of Black love at its best!

Monica and Shannon Brown: Keep their love on lock. After secretly wedding and growing closer during the NBA lockout, this couple knows what it means to have the real thing.

Keyshia Cole and Boobie Gibson: Slam dunk. Heartbroken songstress no more, Keyshia finally found her love.

Nelly and Ashanti: Not so secret lovers. This on again off again couple may not talk much about their relationship, but after ten years: we all know.

Will and Jada Smith: Love will find a way: acquisitions, true or false, this couple is committed to succeed: and that seems to be the secret to their success!

Meagan Good and Devon Franklin: Good things come to those who keep the faith! Sought after actress Megan Good finds the love of her life, with studio executive and author Devon Franklin.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama: The King and Queen. Behind every great man stands a strong woman. The type of love and support Michelle gives makes a man feel like he can do anything, including be President of the United States (twice).

Beyoncé and Jay Z: There were the Rothschilds, now there are the Carters! Balance is the key to building the Carter empire. Keeping family first, while juggling concerts, photo shoots, red carpet events, book signings, videos, and sitting court side at the Nets game, is difficult to do: but this couple manages to do it and put their “Love on Top!”

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian: More than hype. Despite everyone waiting to see if this is a publicity stunt, these two have seem to have met their match. They look amazingly handsome together.

Duane and Tisha Martin: The couple next door. Love is not about finding the perfect person, but finding the person that’s perfect for you. This couple makes it work because they have the freedom to be exactly who they are.

T.I. and Tiny: Down for whatever. The phrase ride or die has never been more fitting for any other couple than these two. It is obvious why these two are still together. Loyalty is everything! The modern day Urban Cosby’s have shown the world that their love will stand the test of time.

Grant and Tamia Hill: Sweethearts of the NBA. This is one couple that you won’t see in the news or on Basketball Wives. The drama free couple has an incredible story of success and triumph over adversity. They have congealed their lasting relationship with a mission statement through the “Hill Brand” established to uphold the values that couples find most important personally and professionally.

Dwayne Wade and Gabriele Union: These two go hard in for each other

Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict: A romance that is as adorable as it looks.

Holly Robinson Peete and Rodney Peete: The couple who comes out swinging! They work hard and play even harder.

Pat and Gina Neely: This couple proves that good food is not only the way to the man’s heart, but the woman’s as well.

Boris and Nicole: Love never looked so good. These two played a couple on-screen and it looked so good that they turned their on-screen chemistry to real life matrimony.

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz: Making beautiful music together. These two industry heavyweights show us how good they sound and look together!

Paula Patton and Robin Thicke: Double threat! Soul Singer Robin Thicke and Actress Paula Patton change the minds of all that doubt their skills or their love!

Chris Brown and Rihanna: Break up to make up: volatile, sexy, crazy kind of love!

Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey: Sometimes the class clown gets the girl. Songstress Mariah Carey and funny man Nick are still going strong.

Courtney Vance and Angela Bassett: Just gets better with time. Who ever said they could not make it was so wrong. These two have been going strong for so long, like fine wine!

Ashford and Simpson: Ol’ Skool love. Solid as a rock!

Honorable Mention:

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown: Eternal Love.

Wish List

Jamie Fox and Kerri Washington: Dream Couple! Django!

Erykah and André: Let’s do it again.

Further Reading
4 years ago
Jazz: Winter 2023
6 years ago
Music: R&B / Soul
5 years ago
Authors: Fall 2021
2 years ago
Authors: Fall 2024

SEPTEMBER GRAY
Proprietor of September Gray Fine Art Gallery

BIO 

Gray’s life’s work is a reflection of her enduring passion for the arts. Following a noteworthy career in the performing arts, Gray launched a successful fine art consultancy practice wherein she was celebrated for her ability to assist corporate and private collectors with articulating and executing single acquisition and long–term collecting strategies. Gray’s career in the arts and decade as an art consultant inform her role as gallerist. An avid collector, Gray has a talent for “speaking the language” of both artist and collector and a knack for connecting the gallery’s clients to works by artists whose vision and methodologies resonate with their individual tastes, complement their existing collections and honor their overall investment strategy and appetite for risk. Gray holds a B.A. in Art History from DePaul University. A committed art education advocate, Gray serves on a number of non-profit boards and is co-founder of The Gray Foundation, an organization committed to building a world of enriched life options for youth through the promotion of art and education. Gray shares art news and collection strategies in her electronic quarterly journal, The Gray Book.

https://septembergrayart.com/

JUSTIN SULIVAN, CFP
Senior Vice President Market Leader

BIO 

Justin oversees a team of professionals striving to achieve the highest level of client satisfaction. His top priority is that the team not only meets, but also exceeds the client’s expectations. Through Justin’s leadership and commitment, he helps ensure that the client benefits form a full complement of investment, trust, financial planning and private banking services to help them achieve their financial goals.

XAVIER DANIELS

BIO  

Paintings are influenced by his experiences with brotherhood at both Morehouse and as a firefighter. In creating his art, he is actively thinking about the perception of black men and attempting to be a catalyst for a different view on the black male experience. According to Daniels, the conversations happening in popular culture about black males leave them invisible in discussions about themselves. The portraits of black men Daniels creates are large in an effort to symbolically assert black male presence into those conversations. His work has been shown around the world through Almine Rech and Richard Beavers Gallery. Xavier lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia.

https://xavierdaniels.com/

MARRYAM MOMA

BIO

A Tanzanian-Nigerian visual artist based in Atlanta, GA, is renowned for her prolific exhibition history. Moma’s dedication to her art has earned her prestigious residencies at The Migration Artist Residency, Atlanta, GA, and a blended residency and teaching opportunity at The Swimming HoleFoundation in Upstate NY. The Hambidge Center for the Arts awarded her a Distinguished Artist Fellowship, enriching her narrative-driven solo exhibitions like “ICONoclasts.” This showing intertwines paper cut elements to celebrate and empower revolutionary Black figures. Moma continues to innovate within her practice, expanding her presence through murals, public art installations and exhibitions including an indoor mural for Clark Atlanta universities student innovation lounge sponsored by Dell Technologies and Home depot, ICONoclasts Atlanta building-wide public installation sponsored by Dashboard and If Not Us then Who public digital art mural sponsored by A&E Atlanta. 

https://www.marryammoma.com/

DL WARFIELD

BIO

Atlanta-based artist DL Warfield, a veteran artist who has consistently proven himself a talent of the highest caliber – one who has delivered at the highest levels repeatedly throughout his life and career. Yes, many artists are talented; DL Warfield is prolific.

Warfield’s body of work proves his instinctive knowledge and understanding of pop culture and has given him a permanent place at the cutting edge of the new and next. From St. Louis to New York City, Atlanta and worldwide, his talent, skill and endless creativity have taken him to the top of his field again and again, and he intends to push forward wherever a path to artistic excellence can be forged.

The following is a snapshot of his works and clientele. 

Nike, Sprite, Heineken, Anheuser-Busch, Geffen Records, Sony Entertainment, DreamWorks, Sony Music, OutKast Inc., Universal Records, Boys & Girls Clubs, HBO, Virgin Records, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Vibe Magazine, automotive giant Ford Motor Company. He designed the branding for the City of Atlanta’s Film and Entertainment office and at the same time, His fine art has been featured at national landmarks, including the Time-Life Building in New York City, and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, KY, which he loaned two original pieces for three years.

https://dlwarfield.com/

EDDIE FONTNO

BIO

A native of the Bronx, New York, is most inspired by the brilliance and uniqueness of excellence within the African American culture. The subjects of his work have all possessed a transformative greatness, which paved the way and changed the lives of many, providing a guiding light for the world around them. Fontno takes a subtle approach and focuses on that “light” to capture the detailed nuances through his usage of graphite and oil paint (black and white) that enhances the contrast between light and dark. Fontno’s never-ending quest to find truth and beauty in its most natural form is reflective in the choice of figures in his pieces; paying homage to those who have in some way shaped his view of the world and positively affected his evolution as an artist, father and man. Fontno attended the High School of Art & Design in New York, New York and Howard University in Washington, DC. His work has been displayed in the White House (Madam Vice President Kamala Harris’ private office) and the much-acclaimed October Gallery in Philadelphia, Pa. He has also been commissioned for portraits throughout the Northeast region. 

www.eddiefontno.com

RSVP

We are no longer accepting RSVPs for the Art of Luxury Lifestyle Dinner, but you are welcome to RSVP Here for the Portrait Reveal Event from
9:30PM to 11:30 PM!

ROBERT KOOL BELL| LE KOOL CHAMPAGNE

BIO

For many years, Robert Kool Bell, Leader and Co-founder of Kool & The Gang, sought out Grand Cru Vineyards from owners that have been selling for generations and decided to work with Paul Berthelot a Multi-Vintage producer since 1884. Voila The Celebration Champagne was born! 

https://lekoolchampagne.com

EDDIE FONTNO

BIO

A native of the Bronx, New York, is most inspired by the brilliance and uniqueness of excellence within the African American culture. The subjects of his work have all possessed a transformative greatness, which paved the way and changed the lives of many, providing a guiding light for the world around them. Fontno takes a subtle approach and focuses on that “light” to capture the detailed nuances through his usage of graphite and oil paint (black and white) that enhances the contrast between light and dark. Fontno’s never-ending quest to find truth and beauty in its most natural form is reflective in the choice of figures in his pieces; paying homage to those who have in some way shaped his view of the world and positively affected his evolution as an artist, father and man. Fontno attended the High School of Art & Design in New York, New York and Howard University in Washington, DC. His work has been displayed in the White House (Madam Vice President Kamala Harris’ private office) and the much-acclaimed October Gallery in Philadelphia, Pa. He has also been commissioned for portraits throughout the Northeast region.

Website: www.eddiefontno.com