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Kelly Behun

@kellybehunstudio

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U.S. Ambassador to Portugal, Ret. 🇺🇸🇵🇹
Diplomat, Cultural Connector, Global Citizen

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every project is unique, but this one feels especially so.…in my practice as an interior designer, I have always advocated with my clients for the importance of living with art, not only for what it does for a space, but what it does for the soul. Rarely have I met someone who embraces art with the passion and fearlessness than our client, Ambassador Randi Charno Levine. When she contacted us about working on her new home, in a Bjarke Ingels designed tower in Manhattan’s High Line neighborhood, little did I know what she had up her sleeve when she casually mentioned her idea to collaborate with an artist to create something in the apartment’s windowed loggia space, directly inside the entry to the home. An avid collector for many years, and as the former US Ambassador to Portugal during the Biden administration, Randi forged a close friendship with the pioneering Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos while living in Lisbon. Randi commissioned Joana to create a unique piece for her home and worked closely with her to create this incredible work, entitled “Garden of Delights”….
The story is featured in the November issue of Wallpaper* magazine - link is in my bio, so have a look and I will be releasing more images from the entire project soon!!! Thank you to our wonderful client @randicharnolevine / the singular @joanavasconcelosatelier / @wallpapermag / produced & styled by Michael Reynolds (@michaelreynoldsnyc) / 📸 Thomas Loof (@thomasloof) / words: Rosa Bertoli (@biscott_i)

Joana was very collaborative with us throughout the process, even inviting us to share swatches of any fabrics or trims we were planning to use in the furniture we were finding for the residence - a lovely gesture that created a direct visual and emotional link between her work and the rest of the home. Utilizing forms that evoke fantastical flowers & trees, and employing techniques associated with textile traditions including fabrics, embroidery and passementerie, this “garden” invites you to interact with it rather than simply observe.
The story is featured in the November issue of Wallpaper* magazine - link is in my bio, so have a look and I will be releasing more images from the entir taken in High Line by @kellybehunstudio

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Last night, I had the joy of celebrating President Bill Clinton’s 80th birthday, an evening that was less about the milestone and more about his decades of service and citizenship.

For more than fifty years, President Clinton has championed the idea that we all do better when we work together; a belief that has shaped a legacy stretching from Arkansas to the White House to a foundation that has touched millions of lives around the world.

As his daughter @chelseaclinton lovingly said: in our family “Citizenship” is a verb not a noun.

That belief lives on today through the Clinton Global Initiative, whose work turns commitment into action on climate, health, human rights and the economy. In 2026 alone, CGI’s working groups are tackling everything from climate adaptation hubs to expanding national service programs to distributing vaccines , proof that the call to service Presisent Clinton issued decades ago still animates a global community of doers.

Happy 80th, Mr. President. Here’s to the next chapter of citizenship in action. by @kellybehunstudio

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2 months ago

I am beyond excited to announce my new role as co-producer of Damn Yankees on Broadway!! ⚾️🎭

Yesterday at Yankee Stadium, we announced the first Broadway revival of this classic in more than 30 years, starring @nph as Applegate, @juleshough in her Broadway musical debut as Lola, and @austinscott93 as Young Joe Hardy. Even the rain couldn’t dampen the excitement!

Two of my favorite pasttimes - performing arts and sports - coming together on one stage. Theater and baseball are both uniquely American traditions that bring people together from every walk of life, and the synergy of the two together will be fun and powerful!!!

Congratulations to @lvollack @haleyswindal @msjulieboardman @sergiotrujillo1 and the entire company. See you at the Marquis Theatre this spring!!
#DamnYankees #Broadway by @kellybehunstudio

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17 days ago

Most people picture diplomacy as capital to capital. Ambassador @Randicharnolevine sees it happening much closer to home.

On the sidelines of #UNGA81, Ambassador Levine joined @meridianintl's David Bohigian in our Green Room to talk about Subnational Diplomacy, making the case that the most successful diplomacy often happens at the local level, where mayors, city leaders, and regional governments can engage with their community and bring their issues to the table.

Learn more about the program: https://meridian.org/project/how-cities-and-states-are-shaping-the-future-of-technology-and-global-diplomacy/ by @kellybehunstudio

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Music is one of diplomacy’s most universal languages 🎶

On International Music Day, I’m thinking back to the impact music made during my time as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal. I helped Musical Theater Lisbon bring Broadway talent to the Variedades stage. At L’USAfonia, Lusophone artists brought American music abroad through soul, jazz and R&B. Each time, music blurred borders and brought people together on both sides of the Atlantic.

A song needs no translation. It creates a shared moment; and shared moments build the trust that diplomacy depends on. by @kellybehunstudio

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6 days ago

Diplomacy doesn’t only happen capital to capital - mayors and local leaders are changing the game attracting business and investments and jobs to their communities

Last night, I had the honor of hosting Global Connections: State and Local Leadership, Technology, Partnerships at my home in New York, in partnership with @meridianintl

The evening brought together an extraordinary group of leaders — @mayorkategallego @quinton_lucas, His Excellency Francisco António Duarte Lopes @portugalintheus @marvinjrees, and senior leaders, Sarah Kemp from Intel and Josh Black from Microsoft, for a conversation on how cities and states have become indispensable partners in diplomacy, trade, and technology.

As I saw firsthand as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal, some of the strongest bridges between nations aren’t only built in capitals, they’re built in city halls, boardrooms, and living rooms like this one. Grateful to everyone who joined the conversation, and to @meridianintl for being exactly the kind of place that makes it possible. by @kellybehunstudio

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Last night at The High Line 2026 Art Dinner, we celebrated @tuan.andrew.nguyen “The Light That Shines Through the Universe,” a soaring tribute to the Bamiyan Buddhas destroyed in 2001, its hands cast in part from melted artillery shells. Standing beneath it against the New York sky was unforgettable.  Special shout out to Chief Curator @ceciliaalemani, who along with @tuan.andrew.nguyen, was just named to TIME’s inaugural TIME100 Art list! Cecilias vision, and the talent of artists like Tuan, are exactly why this park keeps finding new ways to put extraordinary art in the path of everyday life.  Grateful to spend a night celebrating a place that proves art belongs everywhere, not just behind museum walls! by @kellybehunstudio

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a month ago

🇺🇸🇵🇹 Best kept secret in Europe? No longer.

US media can’t stop talking about Portugal. Two years ago, I sat down with then-US Ambassador to Portugal, Randi Levine, for News Now, and she said something that’s aging in real time: “Portugal is having its moment.”

While the talk was about business, trade and transatlantic partnerships, the data shows the trend runs deeper.
According to a recent WSJ report, Americans are leaving the US in record numbers during Trump’s second administration, and the Iberian country is one of the top destinations they’re choosing. The number of Americans living in Portugal has more than quintupled since the pandemic. Nearly 6 in 10 foreign property buyers here are now American.

I break down stories like this - where economics, migration, and power intersect - every week in my free newsletter ‘Atlantic Lens.’

LINK IN BIO ➡️

#Portugal #ExpatLife #DonaldDash #Lisbon #USExpats by @kellybehunstudio

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The 25th anniversary of 911 is bittersweet. The city has come back strong, but we all remember where we were on that terrible day and who we lost. This year Jeff and I had the honor of attending the 911 Memorial dinner honoring Mayor Mike Bloomberg. It was a moving presentation with so many New Yorkers who were in the city that day - @denzelwashington.official @itsbillycrystal @katiecouric @bettemidler @brianstokesm. It was especially meaningful when @mikebloomberg honored our dear friend Paul Napoli who passed in July. He was last year’s honoree along with his amazing wife @marienapoli101 who sits on the board of the 911 Memorial museum. Their work on behalf of New York City firefighters and police officers is exemplary and has been so important for the families of the ones we lost. #neverforget by @kellybehunstudio

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It was a joy to welcome the members of Fusun Eczacibasi’s @sahadernegi from Turkey into my home this last night to share my art collection as the sun set on NYC.

Alongside @newmuseum curator Calvin Wang, we walked through works by artists including @asherald @hankwillisthomas @joanavasconcelosatelier @jeffrune @nariward Cecily Brown @faithringgold @kara_walker_official Stephan Balkenhol @kalyban and @jeffkoons — a collection built around questions of identity, memory, and belonging that feel especially relevant shared with a group so dedicated to championing contemporary art and the artists shaping it today.

Thank you @sahadernegi for the visit, and for the ongoing conversations these works continue to spark. by @kellybehunstudio

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20 days ago

After eight long years the Labor Day party tradition continues! Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate the last treasured days of summer ❤️🇺🇸 by @kellybehunstudio

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It was an honor and a privilege to know @gloriasteinem - the woman who expanded the realm of possibilities for women all over the world

From Ms. Magazine to the fight for reproductive freedom, equal pay, and a seat at the table. Her work proved that representation isn’t optional. It’s how we move forward.

Rest in power, Gloria. Your legacy will never be forgotten 🤍 by @kellybehunstudio

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