LOS ANGELES, CA.- Patrons and supporters of
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles arrived at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA on the evening of Saturday, April 29 to honor Jeff Koons at its 38th annual star-studded gala—raising over $3 million to benefit the museum's exhibition program and growing collection. For this year's gala, co-chaired by MOCA Trustees Lilly Tartikoff Karatz and Maurice Marciano, the museum transformed The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA into an immersive setting inspired by Koons's vibrant, highly polished, and meticulously crafted artworks including a bright purple carpet, reflective magenta tables, and hundreds of metallic magenta balloons. Koons's Celebration series, which delights in the rituals and images surrounding birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions, served as a particular point of inspiration for the evening. As part of its nod to the series, the gala showcased Balloon Dog (Orange), Balloon Dog (Magenta), and Balloon Dog (Yellow), a series of limited edition plates by Koons, produced in France by the legendary French porcelain maker Bernardaud. Sold exclusively through MOCA, sales from this special edition benefit the museum.
The gala drew over 600 international guests from the worlds of art, design, architecture, fashion, film, and music. In attendance were Gala Co-Chairs and Board Co-Chairs Lilly Tartikoff Karatz and Maurice Marciano, honoree Jeff Koons, along with MOCA Director Philippe Vergne and his wife Sylvia Chivaratanond, and MOCA Chief Curator Helen Molesworth.
Also in attendance were performers John Legend and Miguel, and DJ M.O.S., joined by important guests from the worlds of art, design, entertainment, music and fashion, including Patricia Arquette, Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith, Paris Hilton and Chris Zylka, George Kotsiopoulos, Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef, Sean Penn, Ryan Seacrest and Shayna Taylor, Jake Shears, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Tilly, and Alex Van Halen; artists Doug Aitken, Dan Colen, Tacita Dean, Sam Durant, Genevieve Gaignard, Theaster Gates, Frank Gehry, Elliott Hundley, Alex Israel, Mark Grotjahn, Kahlil Joseph, Sterling Ruby, Henry Taylor, Eric White, Mary Weatherford, and Jonas Wood; MOCA trustees Carol Appel with David Appel, Gabriel Brener with Deborah Brener, Eli Broad with Edythe Broad, Steven A. Cohen, Kathi Cypres with Gary Cypres, Cliff Einstein with Mandy Einstein, Susan Gersh with David Gersh, Shari Glazer with Ed Glazer, Bruce Karatz, Eugenio Lopez, Mary Martin with David Martin, Jamie McCourt, Edward J. Minskoff with Julie Minskoff, Peter Morton, Carolyn Clark Powers, Dallas Price-Van Breda with Bob Van Breda, Carla Sands, Chara Schreyer with Gordon Freund, Maria Seferian, Jeffrey Soros with Catharine Soros, Sutton Stracke, and Christopher Walker; collectors William and Maria Bell, Allison and Larry Berg, Nicolas Berggruen, Armyan and Christine Meleo Bernstein, Irving Blum and Jackie Blum, J. Ben Bourgeois and Andrew Rhoda, Kevin Burke, NJ and Mark Goldston, Alan Hergott and Curt Shepard, Beth and Kenneth Karmin, Mrs. Robert Looker, Nathalie Marciano, Paul Marciano, Julie Miyoshi, Eugene Sadovoy, and Gilena Simons; gallerists Matt Bangser, Tim Blum, Jeffrey Deitch, Honor Fraser, Larry Gagosian, David Kordansky, and Jeff Poe; additional attendees Bradley Bell and Colleen Bell, Michel Bernardaud, Sonia Boyajian, China Chow, Eva and Michael Chow, Lisa and Eric Eisner, Liz Goldwyn, Olivia Marciano, Erica Pelosini, Wolfgang Puck and Gelila Puck, Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and more.
THE GALA EVENING
The evening began at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in Downtown Los Angeles' Little Tokyo. Guests were invited to walk a festive purple carpet, leading to an outdoor cocktail reception set beneath the Frank Gehry-designed canopy. The Geffen Contemporary was open for guests to enjoy exhibition viewings of Carl Andre: Sculpture as Place, 1958–2010; Arthur Jafa's Love Is The Message, The Message Is Death; and Selections from the Permanent Collection: Catherine Opie and Sterling Ruby. Guests were offered a variety of hors d'oeuvres by Wolfgang Puck and presented with Ruinart Rosé Champagne.
After cocktails, gala guests proceeded into brilliantly lit, magenta-hued gala tent. The décor took inspiration from Koons's vibrant color palette, and was anchored by a scintillating Mylar-balloon backdrop executed with hundreds of oversized balloons in Koons's iconic magenta tone.
MOCA Board Co-Chairs and Gala Chairs Lilly Tartikoff Karatz and Maurice Marciano welcomed guests and thanked everyone for making the gala a tremendous success and the museum's board for their remarkable commitment to MOCA, acknowleding the museum's continued independence and its forward thinking and innovative programming.
In discussing the evening's honoree, Maurice Marciano stated: "Jeff Koons is an artist who is constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries of art, creating works that are dynamic, energetic, and intricate in their process and execution. He is an extreme perfectionist in the most ambitious way, and that allows him to imagine the work he makes. We are so excited to honor him for the incredible spirit of his practice and his contributions to the contemporary art world and to the MOCA community."
Fellow gala co-chair and MOCA Trustee Lilly Tartikoff Karatz added, "Jeff Koons redefined sculpture for his generation, all the while delighting us through work that relishes optimism and joy in flawless precision. We are so proud to celebrate Jeff's amazing work and his very meaningful commitment to MOCA."
Dinner continued and MOCA Director Philippe Vergne took to the stage to welcome and thank the many MOCA supporters and art patrons in attendance, whilst acknowledging Jeff Koons's significant contribution to contemporary art and driving home the important role that Koons has played in not only in his role as an artist, but as a philanthropist.
Vergne enthusiastically remarked on Koons's ability to create art that strikes an "equilibrium between luxury and degradation, kitsch and banality, the new and the antiquity, between Michael Jackson and bubbles, and between his capacity to confront and comfort, between love and basketball." He concluded with a personal appeal in stating, "Jeff, your generosity allows us to continue to promote the new, to take risk and to remain a museum fully dedicated to the art of our time, to be ahead and to anticipate the mainstream; to be a place for ideas and debate. A place that paves the way for the next generation of artists inventing new languages, new forms, new risks. As you have done and continue to do."
Following Vergne's speech, the museum delighted viewers with a special tribute film directed by Oscar Boyson honoring Jeff Koons and his legacy as an iconic international contemporary artist. The film was narrated by actress Scarlett Johansson and featured interviews with renowned art world figures such as Larry Gagosian, Giancarlo Politi, Dakis Joannou, and Scott Rothkopf alongside artists David Salle and George Condo, architect Frank Gehry, and musician Pharrell.
Following the video, actor Pierce Brosnan took the stage, stating: "It is an honor to be here supporting the Museum of Contemporary Art and to celebrate someone who, in the tradition of great artists like Picasso, Dali, and Warhol, embodies the artistry of being a public figure. More than any other contemporary artist, Jeff Koons unites the power of art and celebrity. It is fair to say that there is the art before Jeff Koons and the art after Jeff Koons.
And like an actor, Jeff has managed to transcend the everyday and the mundane. He seduces us with his visual poetry, his creativity, and unique optimism. We are delighted. We are amazed. We are inspired."
Welcomed to the stage by an enthusaistic standing ovation, Jeff Koons graciously acknowledged the introductory remarks and imparted personal insights into his continued relationship with the city of Los Angeles: "What we are really celebrating here tonight is the vitality of the art world in Los Angeles…Marcel [Duchamp] has Philadelphia—they have the biggest consolidated collection of his work there—and I have Los Angeles. If you like to view my work and interact with it, come to Los Angeles."
After dinner, ten-time Grammy and 2015 Oscar-winner John Legend and his band took the stage and kept the crowd on its feet for a thirty minute set, playing hits such as "Green Light," and concluding with an emotional rendition of recent hit "Love Me Now." Guests were especially surprised when performer Miguel took to the stage for a duet performance of "Overload" also from Legend's newest ablum, Darkness and Light. Enlivened by the evening's festivities, guests then filed onto the cocktail-area dancefloor, which had been transformed into a nightclub under the stars complete with atmospheric lights and fog, and entertainment by DJ M.O.S.
