Photos from LACMA’s glam gala: From Lil Nas X to Jeff Bezos, a starry crowd

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s 10th Art + Film gala got off to an unusually spirited start Saturday night: Nearly 700 guests, including Jared Leto, Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, Jake Gyllenhaal, Awkwafina, Diane Keaton and Billie Eilish, arrived on an emerald green-carpeted outdoor plaza with a DJ playing a high-energy mix of Motown, reggae and 1980s pop — and dancing that continued throughout the cocktail hour.

It was a celebration of the evening’s honorees, artists Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley and filmmaker Steven Spielberg, as well as the museum’s premiere of two major exhibitions, “The Obama Portraits Tour” and “Black American Portraits.” It also was a reunion for an art community emerging from a prolonged pandemic. And it was a celebration of change afoot in the museum world, as 95-year-old artist Betye Saar put it.

Kehinde Wiley attends the 10th LACMA Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

“It’s about time the museums started showing more art by Black artists,” Saar said of the portraits exhibition, which was on view for guests and included her work. “This show is important, because it points that out.”

Several dozen of the artists in the exhibition, which features about 150 works, mostly from the museum’s permanent collection, were in attendance, including Mark Bradford, Hank Willis Thomas, Calida Rawles, Tourmaline, Shinique Smith, Glenn Kaino and Tavares Strachan.

Lil Nas X attends the 10th LACMA Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

During dinner, 66-year-old Richard Wyatt Jr., whose work is also on view in the exhibition, echoed Saar’s sentiment.

“It was a struggle in the ’70s being a Black artist, and it’s a lot more inclusive now in the museums,” he said. “We have a ways to go, but we’ll get there.”

Museum Director Michael Govan said the evening, which was hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio and LACMA trustee Eva Chow and which raised $5 million for the museum, was a coming out of sorts.

“It’s about the art,” he said just before a post-dinner performance by singer Celeste. “But it’s also about bringing everyone together — all of this, coming back to life.”

Here are more photos from the evening.

Salma Hayek attends the 10th LACMA Art+Film Gala.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Miley Cyrus attends the 10th LACMA Art+Film Gala.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Dakota Johnson attends the 10th LACMA Art+Film Gala.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Niecy Nash.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Ava DuVernay.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Jared Leto wields his own camera at the gala.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Serena Williams poses for photographers while husband Alexis Ohanian, right, looks on.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

“Squid Game” came to the gala: from left, actor Lee Jung-jae, actor Park Hae-soo, series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, executive producer Kim Ji-yeon and actor Lee Byung-hun.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Paris Hilton.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Siblings Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Elle Fanning.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

24kGoldn and Addison Rae.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Reign Judge and Tyler the Creator.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Dove Cameron.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez at the gala.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)