Inside LACMA’s 10th Annual Art+Film Gala

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hosted its 10th annual Art+Film Gala on November 6, 2021, honoring artists Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley and filmmaker Steven Spielberg. Co-chaired by LACMA trustee Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio, the event was attended by more than 650 prominent guests from the art, film, fashion, and entertainment industries, among others. This year’s event raised $5 million to support LACMA’s film initiatives, as well as future exhibitions, acquisitions, and programming. Returning once again as presenting sponsor of the Art+Film Gala, Gucci expanded its longstanding and generous partnership with the museum by supporting LACMA’s presentation of The Obama Portraits Tour and the companion exhibition Black American Portraits. Audi provided additional support for the gala for the third year.

Art+Film Gala co-chair Eva Chow said, “I am delighted that the return of the Art+Film Gala was such a tremendous success. It was such a pleasure to recognize the creative achievements of all three of our honorees, and to celebrate a decade of art and film at LACMA with our longstanding partner Gucci. I’m so grateful to Alessandro Michele, Marco Bizzari, and everyone at Gucci for their friendship and steadfast support, as well as to Celeste for giving us a spectacular performance that no one will soon forget.”

“It meant so much to honor Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley, both artists of extraordinary vision, as we welcomed their iconic portraits of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama to LACMA, alongside Steven Spielberg—one of the greatest artists of American cinema,” said Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. “As co-chairs of the Art+Film Gala for 10 years, Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio have made this such an important event for all the creative industries in Los Angeles, and I’m so appreciative of their dedication to the gala and the museum.”

Renowned artists, distinguished guests, and luminaries from the art, film, fashion, music, and entertainment industries arrived at the Art+Film Gala’s red carpet adjacent to Chris Burden’s iconic Urban Light (2008) on Wilshire Boulevard. Guests then enjoyed a cocktail reception and a DJ set by the legendary D-Nice outdoors. Guests also visited the Resnick Pavilion to see two new exhibitions, The Obama Portraits Tour featuring paintings by honorees Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, as well as Black American Portraits. Following cocktails, guests moved into the Art+Film pavilion overlooking Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass (2012) for a special dinner—a collaboration between chef Joachim Splichal of Patina Restaurant Group and chef Mattia Agazzi of Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Beverly Hills. Recently awarded a Michelin Star, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Beverly Hills represents a culinary universe by interlacing the colors and flavors of Italy with its new Californian surroundings.

After Michael Govan and Eva Chow welcomed the crowd, Tracee Ellis Ross gave a tribute to honoree Amy Sherald. Ava DuVernay then gave a tribute to honoree Kehinde Wiley, which was followed by a short film about the artists by Christine Turner. Guillermo del Toro then presented a tribute to Steven Spielberg, and guests enjoyed a montage of the director’s films.

Following the dinner program, guests were invited back outside where Sienna Miller introduced the evening’s performer, Celeste, who delivered a captivating performance of soulful hits from her debut album “Not Your Muse.” Shabaka Hutchings and the Free Nationals shared the stage for her set, and Florence Welch joined Celeste for a special duet of the Marvin Gaye classic “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Notable figures from the art world attending the 2021 Art+Film Gala included 2017 Art+Film Gala honoree Mark Bradford, Bisa Butler, Francesco Clemente, Karon Davis, Kenturah Davis, Awol Erizku, Derek Fordjour, Charles Gaines, Todd Gray, Chase Hall, Lauren Halsey, Reggie Burrows Hodges, Thomas Houseago, Kahlil Joseph, Isaac Julien, Glenn Kaino, Shio Kusaka, Deana Lawson, Ariana Papademetropoulos, Ada Pinkston, Calida Rawles, Alison Saar, 2019 Art+Film Gala honoree Betye Saar, Lezley Saar, Kyungmi Shin, Lorna Simpson, Shinique Smith, Tavares Strachan, Gio Swaby, Martine Syms, Henry Taylor, Mickalene Thomas, Mungo Thomson, Honor Titus, Tourmaline, Mary Weatherford, Deborah Willis, Hank Willis Thomas, Jonas Wood, and Richard Wyatt Jr.

Guests from the fashion, entertainment, and business worlds at this year’s event included Judd Apatow, Lyndon Barrois, Jeff Bezos, Hailey Bieber, Kate Capshaw, Asia Chow, Benedict Cumberbatch, 2018 Art+Film Gala honoree Guillermo del Toro, Edward Enninful, Elle Fanning, Will Ferrell, Jami Gertz, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Hall, Paris Hilton, Hwang Dong-hyuk, Robert Iger, Jimmy Iovine, Jung Woo-sung, Moselle Kleiner, Neil Lane, Donna Langley, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Min-ho, Eva Longoria, Leslie Mann, Julian Morris, Law Roach, Brian Robbins, Mark Ronson, Landon Ross, Liberty Ross, Jeymes Samuel, Ted Sarandos, Princess Alia Al-Senussi, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Lucila Solá, Chris Spencer, Sydney Sweeney, Ben Vereen, Audi’s Head of Brand Henrik Wenders, Youn Yuh-jung, Zhang, Jeremy Zimmer, and others.

LACMA trustees in attendance included co-chairs Tony Ressler and Elaine Wynn, Nicole Avant, Willow Bay, Colleen Bell, Rebecka Belldergrun, Allison Berg, Thelma Golden, Suzanne Kayne, Geoffrey Palmer, Viveca Paulin Ferrell, Janet Dreisen Rappaport, Carter Reum, Robbie Robinson, Florence Sloan, Eric Smidt, and Wendy Stark Morrissey. Other notable guests included Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell and Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman.

Wearing Gucci to the event were 2021 Art+Film Gala honorees Amy Sherald, Kehinde Wiley, and Steven Spielberg, Art+Film Gala co-chairs Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio, Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele, Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzarri, performers Celeste, Florence Welch, and D-Nice, and additional special guests including Awkwafina, Alessandro Borghi, Phoebe Bridgers, Sinéad Burke, Kate Capshaw, Asia Chow, Gia Coppola, James Corden and Julia Corden, Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter, Miley Cyrus, Dumbfoundead, Kirsten Dunst, Billie Eilish, Elle Fanning, Michael Govan and Katherine Ross, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bethann Hardison, Jeremy O. Harris, Salma Hayek Pinault, Thomas Houseago and Nichole Galicia, Anjelica Huston, Shabaka Hutchings, Dakota Johnson, Reign Judge, Diane Keaton, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Jung-jae, Jared Leto, Lil Nas X, Lim Se-ryung, Chris Martin, Paul Mescal, Sienna Miller, Tyler Mitchell, Anderson .Paak, Ariana Papademetropoulos, Tracee Ellis Ross, Elizabeth Saltzman, Ridley Scott and Giannina Facio Scott, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Mickalene Thomas and Racquel Chevremont, Honor Titus, Tourmaline, Jodie Turner-Smith, Suki Waterhouse, Olivia Wilde, Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, Steven Yeun, Zhang, and more.