LACMA’S Inaugural Art + film Gala honors Clint Eastwood and John Baldessari and raises $3 million

LOS ANGELES, CA.- The Los Angeles County Museum of Art hosted its inaugural Art + Film Gala honoring actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood and artist John Baldessari on Saturday, November 5, 2011. Co-chaired by actor Leonardo DiCaprio and LACMA Trustee Eva Chow, the evening celebrated the art of the moving image and brought together luminaries from both communities. The evening raised $3 million, with proceeds going to support LACMA’s initiative to make film more central to the museum’s curatorial programming, while also funding LACMA’s broader mission. This includes its newly reinvigorated film program as well as exhibitions, acquisitions, and educational programming, in addition to screenings that explore the intersection of art and film. The 2011 Art + Film Gala was made possible with the generous support of Gucci.

LACMA’s Art + Film Gala drew together around 500 international guests from the worlds of art and design, entertainment, fashion, and music, including collectors, philanthropists, and cultural and civic leaders, among others.

Eva Chow, co-chair of the Art + Film Gala, said “It was an honor to pay tribute to Clint Eastwood and John Baldessari—true icons of film and art. It was a joy to take in Stevie Wonder’s fantastic performance. And it was a pleasure to do it all with my co-chair, Leonardo DiCaprio.” She continued, “This gala would not have been possible without Gucci’s support. They are a company with a longstanding commitment to art and film, for which we are all grateful.”

“I was immensely gratified to see so many people come together in generous support of LACMA in what will be an annual event,” said Michael Govan, LACMA’s CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. “I thank Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio for chairing this historic occasion, and board co-chair Terry Semel for helping to bring these two creative communities together.

Terry Semel, co-chair of LACMA’s board of trustees, added, “From the success of the Art + Film Gala, to the recent announcement of LACMA’s agreement to help the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences realize their dream of creating a Museum of Motion Pictures, to LACMA’s collaboration with Film Independent, one thing is clear: film has an important place at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.”

“Supporting LACMA’s mission to celebrate the art of filmmaking is a natural extension of Gucci’s longstanding commitment to the film community,” said Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini. “We are proud to join Michael Govan, Eva Chow, and Leonardo DiCaprio in honoring the inspiring and distinguished careers of Clint Eastwood and John Baldessari.”

The Art + Film Gala, hosted by Gala Co-Chairs Leonardo DiCaprio and Eva Chow and presented by GUCCI, began at Chris Burden’s Urban Light sculpture on Wilshire Boulevard with red carpet arrivals of film and art-world luminaries, fashion icons, and renowned artists. Guests then moved to a cocktail reception in the BP Grand Entrance accompanied by an orchestra. After cocktails, guests proceeded to the Art + Film pavilion on the north plaza outside the museum, where they were seated for a special dinner prepared by world-renowned chef Joachim Splichal. Champagne for the evening was generously provided by Laurent-Perrier.

Michael Govan and Eva Chow welcomed the crowd, and further into the evening Michael Govan presented the tribute to John Baldessari, with Leonardo DiCaprio presenting the tribute to Clint Eastwood. The evening culminated in a special performance by Stevie Wonder with guests dancing to his hits including Master Blaster, My Cherie Amour, You Are the Sunshine of My Life, and Superstition.

Art-world luminaries in attendance included artists Doug Aitken, Mark Bradford, Chuck Close, Mark Grotjahn, Barbara Kruger, Catherine Opie, Ed Ruscha, Julian Schnabel, Hedi Slimane, Francesco Vezzoli, Bill Viola, and James Welling, among others, as well as MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch. LACMA Trustees in attendance included Wallis Annenberg, Willow Bay, Colleen Bell, Rebecka Belldegrun, David C. Bohnett, Donald L. Bren, Eva Chow, Brian Grazer, Bryan Lourd, Michael Lynton, Wendy Stark Morrissey, Geoffrey Palmer, Viveca Paulin-Ferrell, Lynda Resnick, Steven F. Roth, Carole Bayer Sager, Terry Semel, Florence Sloan, Steve Tisch, and Elaine Wynn. Also in attendance were Max Chow, Michael Chow, Bob Daly, Barbara Davis, Elvis Mitchell, Gelila and Wolfgang Puck, Katherine Ross, Eugene Sadovoy, Gore Vidal, Billie Weisman, Steve Wynn, Zev Yaroslavsky, and fashion luminaries Alber Elbaz, Monique Lhuillier, Christian Louboutin, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, and Rachel Zoe.

The entertainment world was represented by Sean Bailey, Drew Barrymore, Matthew Bellamy, Lawrence Bender, Dustin Lance Black, Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Kate Bosworth, Julie Bowen, Jerry Bruckheimer, Steve Carell, Nick Cassavetes, Kevin Connolly, Cameron Diaz, Dina Eastwood, Will Ferrell, Balthazar Getty, Lukas Haas, Armie Hammer, Marcia Gay Harden, Ron Howard, Bob Iger, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, Rashida Jones, John Krasinski, Ryan Kwanten, Barry Meyer, Luis Miguel, Elisabeth Moss, Patton Oswalt, Amy Poehler, Michael Polish, Jason Reitman, Jeffrey Robinov, Rich Ross, Eli Roth, Mickey Rourke, George Schlatter, Joel Silver, Benicio Del Toro, Uma Thurman, James Van Der Beek, Gus Van Sant, Dita Von Teese, Harvey Weinstein, Jerry Weintraub, Olivia Wilde, Reese Witherspoon, Rick Yorn, and more.

Wearing GUCCI to the event were Eva Chow, John Baldessari, and Michael Govan, as well as Amy Adams, Kate Beckinsale, Colleen Bell, Jamie Bell, Camilla Belle, Asia Chow, Dominic Cooper, Zac Efron, Chris Evans, Jane Fonda, Jon Hamm, Kate Hudson, Byung-hun Lee, Dakota Johnson, Chris O’Donnell, Evan Rachel Wood, Zoe Saldana, Paula Wagner, and Len Wiseman.

Clint Eastwood has achieved worldwide recognition for his work as a director, producer, composer, and actor in the last fifty years. He is one of the most distinguished filmmakers and actors in contemporary American cinema. With more than seventy movies to his credit on both sides of the camera, he most recently directed the upcoming drama J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.

John Baldessari is widely considered to be one of the most significant artists of the twentieth century. In 2009 a major career retrospective, Pure Beauty, co-organized by LACMA and Tate Modern, London, traveled to both of those institutions as well as MACBA, Barcelona, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. His artwork has been featured in more than 200 solo exhibitions and more than 1,000 group exhibitions in the U.S. and Europe, including the Venice Biennale, Whitney Biennial, documenta V and VII, and others. His work resides in the permanent collections of museums worldwide, including LACMA, the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and others.