April 4 (Bloomberg) -- The Brooklyn Museum gala honoring developer Bruce Ratner brought out scores of celebrities, friends and supporters last night, as well as detractors who stood in the evening chill to protest his plans to make over a 22-acre swath of the New York borough.

Guests who paid $1,000 for dinner and a reception catered by chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa's Nobu 57 restaurant included a cross- section of stars from the worlds of entertainment, fashion, art and finance: designer Marc Jacobs, former tennis great John McEnroe, actress Kristin Davis and Grammy Award-winning rapper Kanye West, who served up an ear-splitting performance after dinner.

Meanwhile, Clem Labine, a resident of Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, stood outside with about 60 others who jeered and chanted slogans in opposition to the project. Labine, no relation to the former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher who died a year ago at 80, held a placard that said, ``Brooklyn Museum Sold Out Brooklyn's Communities.''

Labine said Ratner's $4 billion Atlantic Yards project will rely on the government's power of eminent domain to push people out of their homes.

``I heard about this a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn't believe it,'' said Labine, 70, dressed in a black bowler, business suit and a black tie. ``Ratner is a totally divisive character, and I had to protest this decision by the museum.''

Pineapple Pillows

A clutch of demonstrators watched the guests through the museum's ground-floor windows as they dined on tuna martini, miso filet of beef and, for dessert, pineapple pillows.

After dinner, a smiling Ratner shook hands with well-wishers and shrugged off the protest.

``One of the terrific things about this city and country is that people are allowed to express their views, they're allowed to protest, and I respect that,'' he said in an interview. ``Obviously, I don't agree with them, and the museum doesn't agree with them.''

The Brooklyn Ball, the 185-year-old museum's spring fundraiser, chose Ratner for the Augustus Graham Medal (named for one of the institution's founders), because of his philanthropic support, Director Arnold Lehman said in an interview.

Lehman declined to say how much Ratner had donated to the museum. Ratner said he's been a donor for about 15 years.

`Terrific Patronage'

``Honoring Bruce Ratner has nothing to do with anything other than his terrific patronage over a very long period of time,'' Lehman said. ``We're not involved in the politics that seems to be swirling around us.''

The ball raised $1.5 million, museum spokeswoman Sally Williams said. The money will be used for ``a wide range of museum programs,'' she said.

Ratner, the chairman of Nets Sports & Entertainment LLC and chief executive officer of Forest City Ratner Cos., won approval from New York State to build the development that includes a $950 million, 19,000-seat arena for the National Basketball Association's New Jersey Nets, who will move there from their current home in the Meadowlands. The arena will be designed by architect Frank Gehry.

Ratner's plan calls for 6,430 apartments and a hotel in 16 high-rise buildings near the Atlantic Terminal, New York's third- largest transit hub. One of the buildings, to be called ``Miss Brooklyn,'' will be 511 feet tall.

Eminent Domain

Some local residents say the project is too large and will overwhelm adjacent neighborhoods with new residents and traffic. In 2006, tenants and homeowners filed a lawsuit, asking a judge to block the use of eminent domain. In January, an appeals court dismissed the suit.

Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for a group opposed to the Atlantic Yards project, Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, said he hopes an appeal of the court's decision will stop the seizures of residents' properties. If the development goes ahead, Goldstein said, the apartment building where he lives on Pacific Avenue will be destroyed to make room for the basketball arena.

``It's just poor judgment by the museum to honor this developer who is in the midst of a huge fight in the community that surrounds the museum,'' said Goldstein, 38. ``He's taking away people's homes. He's taking away my home.''

New York State wants to use its power of eminent domain to seize 57 residential and commercial buildings in Brooklyn's Prospect Heights district, Goldstein said.

The Brooklyn Ball also celebrated the opening of an exhibition by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, known for his colorful objects and sculpture decorated with animation-inspired images. Luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton, which hired Murakami to design some of its products, co-hosted the gala. The exhibition opens tomorrow.

To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Cole in New York at pcole3@Bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 4, 2008 20:48 EDT