Demi! Demna! Doja Cat! Inside the Star-Studded LACMA Art + Film Gala

Salma Hayek Pinault was spotted chatting with Tessa Thompson, who was dressed in a metallic gown with a deep open back. “I feel like I’m in liquid silver! It’s exceedingly comfortable and it’s business in the front and party in the back,” she said gleefully. Thompson was in attendance to pay tribute to Coogler, who directed her in Creed alongside Michael B. Jordan. “He’s an extraordinary filmmaker. He’s interested in community and wants to expand our ideas of what’s possible with the Black identity,” she praised. “He’s the most imaginative person and truly a solid, just lovely, caring, empathetic human being.”

DiCaprio was seated next to Chow and Coogler’s wife, Zinzi. When his girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti came by and greeted him with a kiss, the actor smiled at her with an enthusiastic, “Hey baby.” Across the room, Saturday Night Live alum Kristen Wiig lingered near the bar enjoying a cocktail with Hannah Einbinder from Hacks. Cynthia Erivo was also in attendance, linking up with Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu. He shared with Vogue that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was the movie that inspired him to become a filmmaker. “I remember as a kid, it was the first movie I saw with my brother and sisters. When that spaceship takes off in the end with John Williams's score, I never forgot that feeling—like I was lifted off to another planet. [It inspired] the Defying Gravity scene in Wicked. I wanted to create that feeling of wonder and awe again for every kid, every teenager, and grownup when they see Elphaba in the air. She takes off and you become breathless.”

Angela Bassett chose a vivid chartreuse fringed frock for the occasion. “I’m having so much fun wearing this dress,” Bassett said of her Gucci gown as she shimmied. “I love it—it’s a work of art in itself.” Bassett shared that the 1975 film Mahogany, starring Diana Ross, is always on her fashion moodboard when it comes to getting red carpet ready. “I remember Diana wore the most glamorous looks that reflected her character's journey from a fashion student to a world-renowned designer, and I wanted to dress like her. She had a one-shoulder purple dress with a fur muff and turban that was absolutely incredible.”

Later in the evening, Bassett took to the stage to present Coogler with his award. “I don’t understand it, I feel like I’m just getting started, but thanks for thinking of me. It means a lot,” the filmmaker said, thanking his mother, wife, brother, and mentors including Sylvester Stallone, Disney's Bob Iger, and the late Robert Redford. It was in 2013 at Sundance Film Festival that Coogler got his big break when his movie Fruitvale Station debuted there. “At the peak of Robert's success, he thought it was important to find a way to give back and support the arts. We need that now more than ever,” Coogler said.

Mere moments ahead of artist James Turrell taking to the stage to present Corse with her award, the dining room erupted in cheers as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays—becoming the first back-to-back World Series champions in 25 years. Throughout the evening, numerous guests, including Edward Norton, took strategic breaks to go watch the game on their phones. When the team clinched the win in overtime, several attendees grabbed their cloth napkins and spun them in the air and chanted. That Angeleno spirit!

Corse, a central figure in the Southern California art scene since the 1960s, graciously accepted her award from Turrell. Known for her experimentation with glass microspheres to create paintings that shift viewers' perspectives, she said: “I want to thank all of you for supporting art and supporting this museum that helps us see things differently. Let's keep art alive!”

At 10:30 pm, the crowd gathered outside to enjoy a set by Doja Cat, who performed a crowd-pleasing medley including Kiss Me More while servers passed out espresso martinis with whipped cream and a cherry on top.

The gala raised a record $6.5 million to support LACMA’s curatorial programming around film, including exhibitions, acquisitions, and educational programming. “Art is important because it's an expression—and there’s so many different forms of art,” Crawford had said. “Being here in LA, we think mostly Hollywood and filmmaking, but there’s all kinds of art here. And tonight is a night that brings it all together.”