LACMA Art + Film Gala Draws Blake Lively, Charli XCX, DiCaprio

The evening was cloudy, but the stars still came out and paraded in front of Chris Burden’s “Urban Light” sculpture before entering the controlled chaos of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s 13th Art + Film Gala. The event, co-chaired by Leonardo Di Caprio and LACMA trustee Eva Chow, was held in honor of artist Simone Leigh and filmmaker Baz Luhrmann.

It was also the museum’s most successful Art + Film Gala ever, said LACMA CEO Michael Govan, who noted it raised $6.4 million.

“I think I know everyone in this room because we are a family from all over the world,” Govan said during his opening remarks as guests included Kim Kardashian, Blake Lively, Laura Dern, Viola Davis, Andrew Garfield and Sarah Paulson, sat down for a dinner of makgeolli jeung-pyeon, japchae and grand cru galbi-jjim, prepared by chef David Shim of Cote, the country’s only Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse.

Earlier in the evening, as cocktails and small bites were passed around, Govan said it was rare to honor an artist when the museum was hosting a retrospective of the artist’s work, as was the case with Leigh. whose exhibition showcases two decades of work in ceramics, bronze, video and installation in a co-presentation with the California African American Museum.

The musician who closed the evening, Charli XCX, was chosen before calling Vice President Kamala Harris “brat.”

“The idea in the beginning was to bring two different worlds together, and then you mix two constituencies, and people meet people they didn’t know before,” Govan said of the impetus for the event, which also brings together architects, designers and other people attracts. creatives.

Govan introduced two young artist brothers, Kohshin and Delfin Finley, sons of Ron Finley, who is also known as the Gangsta Gardener.

“There is no more creative family in Los Angeles than this amazing family,” Govan said, adding that Kohshin’s work was part of LACMA’s “Black American Portraits” exhibit a few years ago.

“This is a wonderful evening to celebrate art, film and culture,” said Kohshin Finley. “It’s so rare to have other genres together in one room.”

Delfin added: “Everyone tries to keep everything separate, but there really are so many similarities.”

The dark shape of the LACMA has been newly designed by Peter Zumthor David Geffen Galleries can be seen rising in the background between the various party tents.

“Now is not the time,” Govan said. “It’s pretty much done, but that’s not itplus we have Simone and Baz, and it’s about them.

Despite being mentioned and thanked several times during the dinner, DiCaprio kept a low profile with a bodyguard blocking unwanted calls. The evening was not about DiCaprio, one of his supervisors said.

The evening was about Leigh and Luhrmann – the former introduced by Chow and author, lawyer and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson, and the latter by Anna Wintour.

“I accept this honor for all Black women who are queer,” Leigh said, noting her past as an unusual, creative and curious person – a mother who found her way to art because it was the only thing she could imagine .