Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve and artist Vija Celmins took center stage on Saturday evening at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Art + Film Gala, an annual gathering that bridged the city’s creative industries to set a new fundraising high.
The 15th annual event brought more than 600 guests to a massive tent in the museum’s backyard, anchored by Chris Burden’s iconic “Urban Light” installation, lacma.org reported. The starry benefit raised nearly $7 million, surpassing the previous year’s $6.5 million record, to support the museum’s curatorial programming and broader mission.
Villeneuve paid tribute to Celmins during his acceptance speech, praising the 88-year-old artist for her meticulous re-creations of natural imagery, including night skies, oceans, and desert sands. In your work, you stop the seas and the stars long enough for us to truly see them,
Villeneuve said of Celmins.
Film carries the burden of being popular in the present, but at the end of the day, the real challenge is to make something that can endure the test of time, like Vija does with her masterful work,
Villeneuve said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Nicole Kidman flew 15 hours from Australia to introduce Villeneuve, offering a playful nod to her viral AMC Theatres commercial. Kidman praised the director for exploring the profound mysteries of existence without letting massive cinematic scope overshadow human sensitivity.
Co-chaired once again by Leonardo DiCaprio and LACMA trustee Eva Chow, the gala marked a bittersweet milestone for the event’s leadership. Chow announced during the evening that Saturday would serve as her final year as co-chair, noting that the event has raised close to $60 million since its inception.
Museum director Michael Govan addressed attendees about an unforgettable year at LACMA. The museum recently debuted Shio Kusaka’s public art piece “Beam,” while preparing to open the new David Geffen Galleries and launch Vanity Fair’s inaugural screening series at the Steve Tisch Theater.
The evening featured a vibrant fashion runway on the red carpet beneath the lamp posts, with artists and celebrities including Alex Consani, Andrew Garfield, Emily Ratajkowski, Salma Hayek Pinault, Sarah Paulson, Timothée Chalamet, and Viola Davis in attendance. Musical guest Rosé delivered the live debut of her single “New Trick” from a stage positioned below the Geffen Galleries, with Matisse’s “La Gerbe” visible through the surrounding windows.
BLACKPINK’s ROSÉ just brought K-pop to one of Hollywood’s most glamorous nights. 🌹✨ On November 7, ROSÉ performed at the 2026 LACMA Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles. And the night had some surprises. 💗 Paris Hilton introduced her performance. 🎤 ROSÉ debuted her new single “New…”
Gucci presented the 2026 gala, maintaining a partnership with the museum that dates back to the event’s launch in 2011. Audi provided additional support, utilizing its Q9 Fleet for guest transportation.
Villeneuve closed his remarks with a lighthearted quip about the future of the James Bond franchise, generating laughter across the room before stepping away from the podium.
