LACMA’s 15th Art+Film Gala Raises Nearly $7 Million

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s 15th annual Art+Film Gala raised nearly $7 million, according to the museum’s release.

The release did not disclose an exact sum, an itemized breakdown or the previous year’s total. The result establishes the scale of this year’s fundraising, but it cannot show whether the gala grew.

LACMA said the money would support its efforts to make film more central to its curatorial programming and the museum’s broader mission. The statement did not say how much of the nearly $7 million would go to film alone, whether donors restricted the funds or when LACMA would spend them. Nor did it define what “more central” would mean in exhibition, acquisition or screening terms.

LACMA’s Art+Film Gala format honors one luminary from the art world and one from film. This year’s honorees and participants were:

• Artist honoree: Vija Celmins
• Film honoree: Denis Villeneuve
• Performer: Rosé
• Returning co-chairs: Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio

Michael Govan said: “It was a privilege to recognize the extraordinary careers of Vija Celmins and Denis Villeneuve, whose work can alter our perception of the visual world, or transport us to worlds of the imagination.”

He added: “This unique event has become a beloved tradition at LACMA thanks to the leadership of our co-chairs Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio, and I’m so grateful for their dedication to this gala and the museum.”

Govan’s statement gives the gala an institutional rationale but leaves the funding promise untested. The release names no curator, exhibition, commission, acquisition or screening that the money will support, and it sets no timetable. The praise is clear; the operational detail is absent.

The gala took place at LACMA, which opened its David Geffen Galleries in April; ARTnews described the galleries as “lauded.” The report did not connect the fundraiser to a specific installation or program in the new galleries.

ARTnews reported film and television stars, celebrities, artists and collectors among those who attended. The named guests included Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Paris Hilton and her husband, LACMA trustee Carter Reum; Parker Posey and Nicole Kidman; and artists Charles Gaines, Mickalene Thomas, Diana Thater and Alex Israel.

The report did not specify what role each guest played at the gala or connect any of them to a particular gift. Rosé’s performance was announced without a set list, repertoire or collaborators. The names establish attendance, not the scale of individual support.

What does nearly $7 million change for LACMA’s film program?

The immediate answer is financial. LACMA says nearly $7 million will support film-focused curatorial work and its broader mission. But the announcement did not specify a film allocation, name a project or set a date. For filmmakers, museumgoers and potential partners, the total shows what LACMA has raised, not yet what they can expect to see, screen or collaborate on.

The next test for LACMA is a public account of the money and the film work it supports. Until then, the nearly $7 million result documents the scale of the museum’s commitment without demonstrating a specific change to its curatorial calendar.