It Was a Starry Night at The 2022 LACMA Art + Film Gala

Finneas and Billie EilishStefanie Keenan/Getty Images

An unusually brisk night in Los Angeles made no impact on the turnout of this weekend’s starry 11th annual LACMA Art + Film Gala, where artist Helen Pashgian and director Park Chan-wook were honored.

On the contrary, partygoers whirled about the purple carpeted dance floor, belting out the lyrics to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” and ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” spun by DJ D-Nice well before the clock struck 6:30. Heidi Klum, in a glamorous sequined gown, made a metamorphosis from her last public appearance on Halloween in an internet-viral worm costume. “The worm was… major!” One partygoer exclaimed to Klum. The open-air cocktail portion of the event was adjacent to where the LACMA’s soon-to-be Peter Zumthor-designed David Geffen Galleries building will stand.

In attendance were a gaggle of Gucci-clad guests, including Idris and Sabrina Elba, Alessandro Michele, Billie Eilish, Andrew Garfield, Thuso Mbedu, Olivia Wilde, Dev Hynes, Jared Leto, Marco Bizzarri, and Janelle Monae. Plus, there was Kim Kardashian, Olivia Wilde, Selma Hayek, Julia Garner, Sydney Sweeny, Jodie Turner-Smith, Kendall Jenner, Jude Law, and more. Gucci was the presenter of the evening, dressing most of the notable attendees, including Billie Eilish, who wore a Gucci-emblazoned pajama set (eye mask and blanket included) and Olivia Wilde, whose firetruck red patent leather opera gloves stayed on the entirety of the night—even for the dinner portion of the event.

The night was co-chaired by Leonardo DiCaprio (who, for the first time in the event’s history, was not present) and LACMA trustee Eva Chow and raised more than $5 million for the museum’s initiative to make film more central to the curatorial programming and funding LACMA’s broader mission. One of this year’s honorees, Helen Pashgian, known for spearheading the California Light and Space art movement of the 1960s, poignantly reminded everyone in the room, “I think you learn from your failures, I don’t think you learn from your successes.”

The evening’s dinner menu was created in collaboration between 2021 Michelin Star Award Winning Chef Mattia Agazzi of Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Beverly Hills and chef Joachim Splichal. The beef tortellini served in a parmigiano reggiano sauce was lamented as soon as the last bite was finished. As dinner concluded, Idris Elba ushered guests outside, “without further ado, ladies and gentleman, I’d like you to get up, go outside and listen to the one and only Elton John.” Everyone happily obliged.

Before Sir Elton John took the stage, Selma Hayek reintroduced the legendary singer and pianist. Sitting down at a large red piano, John sang classics such as Rocket Man and Tiny Dancer, cracking small jokes or dedicating songs to people in attendance before carrying on. Adrian Brody and Olivia Wilde were some of the many guests packed in toward the front of the crowd. Wilde swayed back and forth to the music, never once joining the partygoers slipping phones out of purses and jacket pockets to capture the moment.