The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hosted its ninth annual Art+Film Gala on Saturday, November 2, 2019, honoring artist Betye Saar and filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. Co-chaired by LACMA trustee Eva Chow and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, the evening brought together more than 800 distinguished guests from the art, film, fashion, and entertainment industries, among others. This year’s gala raised more than $4.6 million, with proceeds supporting LACMA’s film initiatives and future exhibitions, acquisitions, and programming. The 2019 Art+Film Gala was made possible through Gucci’s longstanding and generous partnership. Additional support for the gala was provided by Audi. Eva Chow, co-chair of the Art+Film Gala, said, “I’m so happy that we have outdone ourselves again with the most successful Art+Film Gala yet. It was such a joy to celebrate Betye Saar and Alfonso Cuarón’s incredible creativity and passion, while supporting LACMA’s art and film initiatives. I couldn’t be more grateful to Alessandro Michele, Marco Bizzarri, and everyone at Gucci—our invaluable partner since the first Art+Film Gala—and to Anderson .Paak and The Free Nationals for making this evening one to remember.” “I’m deeply grateful to our returning co-chairs Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio for helping us set another Art+Film Gala record,” said Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. “We honored two incredibly powerful artistic voices this year. Betye Saar has helped define the genre of Assemblage art for nearly seven decades, and recognition of her as one of the most important and influential artists working today is long overdue. Alfonso Cuarón, one of the great storytellers of our time, is able to bring deep humanity to any story he chooses to portray, whether it takes place in the world of wizarding, or outer space, or the Mexico City of his own adolescence.”
The Art+Film Gala began with red-carpet arrivals of art world, music, entertainment luminaries, fashion icons, and renowned artists at LACMA’s Wilshire Boulevard entrance. Guests then moved through the museum’s Smidt Welcome Plaza to a cocktail reception on the museum’s Zev Yaroslavsky Plaza. Projected on the walls were motifs inspired by the works of Betye Saar and Alfonso Curarón. After cocktails, guests proceeded to the Art+Film dinner pavilion overlooking Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass (2012), where they were seated for a special dinner prepared by Joachim Splichal of Patina Restaurant Group.