Saturday night, November 2 at the of Art (LACMA) saw Hollywood celebrities and studio executives honoring filmmaker Martin Scorsese and British artist David Hockney. The event was the annual Art + Film Gala that strives to bring the industries of art and movies closer together, and it drew some very valuable support from such A-listers as Tom Hanks, Warren Beatty andJane Fonda, with British music superstar Sting serving up some entertainment for the guests.
Scorsese, best known for helming the great films "Taxi Driver" and "Goodfellas", was recognized for his help in saving the LACMA's film program from being scrapped during the recession plus his efforts in film restoration. According to the museum's chief executive Michael Govan, Scorsese was the first person to extend help in rebuilding and expanding LACMA's film program.
Leonardo DiCaprio, who co-chaired the gala with LACMA trustee Eva Chow and who will be seen in Scorsese's forthcoming "The Wolf of Wall Street", said that working on a film by the acclaimed director is a "privilege of being part of that history" with time spent with Scorsese "like stepping into a world class film museum."
Meanwhile, Hockney, a multi-media artist who spent nearly three decades living in Southern California before moving back to his native England a few years ago, was praised for the way he captured the city in his art. The 76-year-old Brit is the subject of the new LACMA exhibition "Seven Yorkshire Landscape Videos" which will run until January at the Resnick Pavilion.
