LACMA's Art+Film Gala Raises Nearly US$7 Million for Film Programmes

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art raised nearly US$7 million at its 15th annual Art+Film Gala, according to ArtNews. The evening was held on November 7, 2026, at the museum in Los Angeles.

A gala is a formal fundraising evening, usually a dinner with performances, where guests pay to attend and donate to a cause. This year's event honoured the artist Vija Celmins and the filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio served as co-chairs, helping to lead the night and its fundraising.

The musician Rosé performed for guests. Nicole Kidman was also among those who attended, Vogue reported.

Money raised at the gala goes to the museum's film programming and its wider mission, the work of showing, studying and caring for art. Film programming means the screenings, talks and series the museum runs in its cinemas, which are open to the public, not only to donors. The Los Angeles Times reported that the gala has raised nearly US$60 million in total since it began.

The museum's own announcement described this year's total as a record for the event. Michael Govan, the museum's director and chief executive, leads the institution that runs the gala and the galleries it supports.

For guests, the night was about the people in the room. Celmins is known for paintings and drawings of ocean waves, stars and desert landscapes, while Villeneuve has directed films including Dune and Arrival. Honouring both in one evening links the museum's visual art with its work on cinema.

The gala's money will keep flowing into screenings and programmes over the coming months. Those who cut the glass for the frames, set up the chairs and run the cinema booths are part of that work too, and the funds help pay for it.