Dodgers’ victory electrifies LACMA’s star-studded Art + Film gala with Cynthia Erivo and George Lucas
When Los Angeles County Museum of Art director Michael Govan first took the podium at the museum’s star-studded 14th annual Art + Film gala, the Dodgers were down by one run to the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning of the final game of the World Series.
There was no giant screen in the huge tent where a decadent dinner was served Saturday night to celebrate honored artist Mary Corse and director Ryan Coogler. Instead, guests dressed in elaborate gowns and tuxedos discreetly glanced at their phones resting on tables and at the bases of flower vases across the star-filled room. This became evident when Miguel Rojas hit a game-tying home run in the top of the ninth inning and the entire room erupted in cheers.
LACMA CEO Michael Govan, wearing Gucci, speaks onstage at the 2025 LACMA Art+Film Gala.
(Amy Sussman/Getty Images for LACMA)
When Govan returned to the stage to begin the well-deserved tributes to the artist and filmmaker of the hour, the game was won, the enthusiastic cheers had died down and the phones had been respectfully put away.
“Go Dodgers!” Govan said, before joking that LACMA staged the win for this special night. The room was full of juice.
It made Los Angeles feel like the center of the universe for a few hours and was a perfect fit for an event that brings together the city’s two cultural foundations, art and film, creating a rarefied space where the two worlds mix and mingle to support a shared vision of recognizing Los Angeles’ immeasurable contributions to the global cultural conversation.
“This is a celebration that can only happen in Los Angeles, where art, film and creativity are deeply intertwined,” Govan said. “I always say it’s the most creative place on Earth.”
The event raised a record $6.5 million to support the museum and its programs. Co-chairs Leonardo DiCaprio and LACMA Trustee Eva Chow hosted a cocktail reception and dinner that attracted celebrities including Dustin Hoffman, Cynthia Erivo, Cindy Crawford, Queen Latifah, Angela Bassett, Lorde, Demi Moore, Hannah Einbinder, Charlie Hunnam and Elle Fanning alongside local elected officials and appointees, including U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles); Los Angeles County Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Lindsey Horvath; Katy Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles City Council member; West Hollywood Council Member John M. Erickson and Kristin Sakoda, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.
Sakoda said she really enjoyed the festivities “as a representative of Los Angeles’ incredibly diverse culture and how it speaks to our entire nation.”
1. George Lucas arrives at the LACMA Art + Film Gala on Saturday. (Jordan Strauss/Invision via Associated Press) 2. Elle Fanning arrives at the LACMA Art + Film Gala on Saturday. (Jordan Strauss/Invision via Associated Press) 3. Angela Bassett arrives at the LACMA Art + Film Gala on Saturday. (Jordan Strauss/Invision via Associated Press)
A special token of gratitude was given to previous gala honorees, including artists Mark Bradford, James Turrell, Catherine Opie, Betye Saar, Judy Baca, George Lucas and Park Chan-Wook. Leaders from many other local arts institutions were also in attendance, including Hammer Museum Director Zoe Ryan; Cameron Shaw, director of the African American Museum of California; and MOCA Interim Director Ann Goldstein.
In the background stood LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries, the 110,000-square-foot Peter Zumthor-designed building scheduled to open in April to house the museum’s permanent collection of 150,000 objects.
“Every day I’m in this little building behind which I install thousands of works of art,” Govan said to applause. “I can’t wait for people to rediscover our permanent collection, from old favorites to new acquisitions. This is a monumental gift to Los Angeles, and in addition to Los Angeles County and the public, I would like to thank the person whose generosity has brought us to this landmark moment, Mr. David Geffen.”
Geffen sat in a sea of black ties and sparkly dresses, near Disney CEO Bob Iger and DiCaprio — who had been filmed earlier in the week attending Game 5 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Govan also gave a special thanks to former LACMA board co-chair Elaine Wynn, who died earlier this year and was one of the museum’s most loyal advocates. Wynn contributed $50 million to the new building – one of the first major gifts in support of the effort. Govan noted that the north half of the building will be called the Elaine Wynn Wing.
Honoree Ryan Coogler, wearing Gucci, speaks on stage at the 2025 LACMA Art+Film Gala.
(Amy Sussman/Getty Images for LACMA)
Not mentioned was the fact that earlier in the week LACMA employees announced they were forming a union, LACMA United, which represents more than 300 workers from all departments, including curators, educators, guest relations associates and others. An employee told the Times that there were no plans to protest at the gala, which would raise much-needed funds for the museum.
The crowd was enraptured as the evening’s guests of honor, Corse and Coogler, spoke humbly about their journeys in their respective art forms, with Govan introducing them as “artists whose brilliant, groundbreaking work challenges us to see the world differently.”
The evening concluded with an enthusiastic performance by Doja Cat on an outdoor stage in the shadow of the David Geffen Galleries, the lights encircling her enormous concrete belly like stars in the sky.
“It was a beautiful evening of community coming together around something that reminds us of our common humanity at a time when we need it,” Yaroslavsky said with a smile at the end of the evening.
