Hammer Museum Celebrates the Achievements of L.A. Artist Ed Ruscha at Third Annual Gala in the Garden on October 1
Event co-chairs Edythe and Eli Broad, Sofia Coppola, and Gigi and Brian Grazer join in the festivities of Hammer Museum’s annual fundraising gala
August 30
Los Angeles, CA — The Hammer Museum announces its third annual fundraising dinner, the Gala in the Garden on Saturday, October 1, 2005, with all proceeds to support the Museum’s exhibitions and public programs. The 2005 Gala is held in honor of Los Angeles-based artist Ed Ruscha on occasion of his celebrated exhibition at the 2005 Venice Biennale’s U.S. Pavilion. Co-chairs of the festive celebration are Edythe and Eli Broad, Sofia Coppola, and Gigi and Brian Grazer.
Held in the Museum’s elegant outdoor courtyard, the Gala in the Garden has become an annual tradition attracting an eclectic mix of several hundred arts, cultural, and society figures alongside emerging and established artists. The menu and cuisine are prepared by Los Angeles chef Suzanne Goin of LUCQUES and AOC restaurants, who also catered the outstanding meal of the 2004 Gala.
“We are delighted to place Ed Ruscha at the heart of this year’s celebration. His internationally renowned work is central to the development of contemporary art and culture in Los Angeles. We are proud to recognize his many years as one of the most definitive and influential artists,” said Ann Philbin, Hammer Museum director. “Ed is truly a local hero, and he has been a great friend and supporter of the Hammer Museum; this year’s Gala in the Garden is dedicated to all of his achievements.”
Acclaimed art critic and MacArthur Fellow Dave Hickey will deliver the tribute to Ed Ruscha. A painter, printmaker, and photographer, Ed Ruscha was nominated by a consortium of American curators to represent the U.S. at the 2005 Venice Biennale. This is the second time the artist has represented the country at the Biennale. Ruscha’s recent retrospective of drawings, “Cotton Puffs, Q-tips®, Smoke and Mirrors,” was exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in 2004. Other major retrospectives of Ruscha’s work have been shown at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C., and the J. Paul Getty Museum, among many other international exhibitions of his work. In 2001, Ruscha was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Letters as a member of the Department of Art.
The Hammer Museum’s memorable Gala in the Garden events have quickly become established as an indispensable celebration of the fall season. Last year’s sold-out Gala in honor of board chair Senator John Tunney, board member Eileen Harris-Norton, and Gemini G.E.L. co-founder Sindey Felsen and his wife Joni Moisant Weyl attracted over 400 guests and raised over $500,000.
For ticket information, please contact Addy Benard at hammergala@arts.ucla.edu or 310-443-7012.
Event co-chairs Edythe and Eli Broad, Sofia Coppola, and Gigi and Brian Grazer join in the festivities of Hammer Museum’s annual fundraising gala
August 30
Los Angeles, CA — The Hammer Museum announces its third annual fundraising dinner, the Gala in the Garden on Saturday, October 1, 2005, with all proceeds to support the Museum’s exhibitions and public programs. The 2005 Gala is held in honor of Los Angeles-based artist Ed Ruscha on occasion of his celebrated exhibition at the 2005 Venice Biennale’s U.S. Pavilion. Co-chairs of the festive celebration are Edythe and Eli Broad, Sofia Coppola, and Gigi and Brian Grazer.
Held in the Museum’s elegant outdoor courtyard, the Gala in the Garden has become an annual tradition attracting an eclectic mix of several hundred arts, cultural, and society figures alongside emerging and established artists. The menu and cuisine are prepared by Los Angeles chef Suzanne Goin of LUCQUES and AOC restaurants, who also catered the outstanding meal of the 2004 Gala.
“We are delighted to place Ed Ruscha at the heart of this year’s celebration. His internationally renowned work is central to the development of contemporary art and culture in Los Angeles. We are proud to recognize his many years as one of the most definitive and influential artists,” said Ann Philbin, Hammer Museum director. “Ed is truly a local hero, and he has been a great friend and supporter of the Hammer Museum; this year’s Gala in the Garden is dedicated to all of his achievements.”
Acclaimed art critic and MacArthur Fellow Dave Hickey will deliver the tribute to Ed Ruscha. A painter, printmaker, and photographer, Ed Ruscha was nominated by a consortium of American curators to represent the U.S. at the 2005 Venice Biennale. This is the second time the artist has represented the country at the Biennale. Ruscha’s recent retrospective of drawings, “Cotton Puffs, Q-tips®, Smoke and Mirrors,” was exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in 2004. Other major retrospectives of Ruscha’s work have been shown at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C., and the J. Paul Getty Museum, among many other international exhibitions of his work. In 2001, Ruscha was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Letters as a member of the Department of Art.
The Hammer Museum’s memorable Gala in the Garden events have quickly become established as an indispensable celebration of the fall season. Last year’s sold-out Gala in honor of board chair Senator John Tunney, board member Eileen Harris-Norton, and Gemini G.E.L. co-founder Sindey Felsen and his wife Joni Moisant Weyl attracted over 400 guests and raised over $500,000.
For ticket information, please contact Addy Benard at hammergala@arts.ucla.edu or 310-443-7012.