LACMA Art+Film Gala Sets Fundraising Record with $7 Million

The 15th annual Art+Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art raised nearly $7 million. The November 7 event broke last year's record of $6.5 million, with funds supporting the museum's mission to integrate film into its core programming. More than 600 guests attended the gala, which was held under a massive tent in LACMA's backyard.

Honorees and Tradition

The gala continued its tradition of honoring one luminary from art and one from film. This year's honorees were 88-year-old artist Vija Celmins and filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Nicole Kidman, who flew 15 hours from Australia, introduced Villeneuve. The filmmaker remarked that he feels like a vampire in museums, absorbing energy from the walls that later surfaces in his films. Author Rachel Kushner introduced Celmins, whose work is known for careful recreations of natural scenes like ocean waves and night skies.

Celmins discussed her artistic journey. She fled Latvia during the Soviet occupation, eventually immigrating to the United States. After pursuing an MFA at UCLA, Los Angeles and its landscape profoundly influenced her work, shifting her initial focus from abstract painting.

Cultural Context and Leadership

The record fundraising shows LACMA's strategic push to make film central to its identity. This follows the April opening of the David Geffen Galleries. Director Michael Govan highlighted this expansion during his speech. The museum also recently debuted a new public art piece, Shio Kusaka's 'Beam,' and will project Diana Thater's permanent video installation onto the Wilshire Boulevard bridge by the new Peter Zumthor-designed building.

The gala was designed to knit Los Angeles's artistic and film communities closer together. It has become a beloved institution under the long-time leadership of co-chairs Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio. Chow, who co-chaired the event for all 15 years, announced this was her final year. She estimated the galas raised nearly $60 million during her tenure.

The Evening's Festivities

Gucci, the presenting sponsor since the gala's 2011 debut, supported the event. Audi provided transportation. The evening began with cocktails in the Smidt Welcome Plaza, with guests posing for photographs at Chris Burden's Urban Light. Dinner was served in a pavilion featuring Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass.

The crowd included actors, musicians, artists, and local officials.

Singer ROSÉ performed the live debut of her single 'New Trick' on a stage beneath the Geffen Galleries, with Matisse's La Gerbe visible through the windows above. The event solidified the gala's role as a unifying force for Los Angeles's creative worlds, blending artistic celebration with substantial institutional support.