The Hammer Museum opens the much-anticipated Billy Wilder Theater in December 2006. Designed by Michael Maltzan Architecture, the 295-seat theater will be a versatile, state-of-the-art venue with the ability to accommodate early film technology as well as digital video and film. To be programmed jointly by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hammer Museum, the theater will be the new home of the Archive's renowned public screenings as well as the Hammer Museum's public programs.The UCLA Film & Television Archive will present an eclectic mix of more than 400 films and videos a year that include the best of classic and contemporary American and international cinema. The Billy Wilder Theater will also host a broad range of public programs organized by the Hammer Museum, including Hammer Readings, featuring acclaimed contemporary writers; Hammer Conversations, a series of provocative dialogues on culture, science, and the arts; and Hammer Forum, timely discussions on current social and political issues.
For more information about opening events sponsorship and seat naming opportunities to support of the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum, please contact Jennifer Wells Green, Director of Development, at 310-443-7008.
Construction view March 1, 2006
View of the Isermann construction fence in the Museum courtyard.
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Michael Maltzan Architecture
UCLA Film &Television Archive
Hammer Public Programs
Michael Maltzan Architecture
UCLA Film &Television Archive
Hammer Public Programs
Audrey L. Wilder has made a generous $5 million gift to name the new Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum in honor of her late husband, the celebrated writer-director. The Billy Wilder Theater is a major element of the Hammer Museum’s renovation plan designed by Michael Maltzan Architecture. To be programmed jointly by the Hammer Museum and the UCLA Film and Television Archive, the theater will be the new home of the Archive’s renowned public screenings.
Billy Wilder, who died in March 2002 at the age of 95, left an unparalleled cinematic legacy. He was one of the quintessential and most highly regarded writer-directors in postwar Hollywood, winning six Academy Awards and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Among the over 20 films he co-wrote and directed are such classics as Double Indemnity, Sabrina, Sunset Boulevard, The Seven Year Itch, and Some Like It Hot. A resident of Westwood, Billy Wilder had a passion for paintings and drawings and, over a half century, built a major collection of Impressionist and Modern art including works by Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, and Joan Miró.“This gift to the UCLA Hammer Museum reflects Billy’s passion for film and art, and his dedication to supporting and encouraging artists of all kinds,” notes Audrey L. Wilder. “I think he would be thrilled to have his name on this theater and to see the neighborhood truly come to life.”
The Billy Wilder Theater will be as exceptional as its namesake. It will have the versatility to accommodate old nitrate film projections, as well as digital video and film presentations. The theater’s architecture will be closely integrated into the interior spaces while also anchoring the new Museum entrance at Lindbrook Drive.
To learn more about naming opportunities, please contact Jennifer Green, Director of Development, at 310-443-7008.
For press information, please contact Melissa Goldberg, Manager, Communications, at 310-443-7056.
Billy Wilder Theater, interior renderings by Michael Maltzan Architecture.
Above, left to right: Architect Michael Maltzan, Hammer director Ann Philbin, film director Curtis Hanson, Audrey Wilder, and UCLA Film and Television Archive director Tim Kittleson.
Above: Billy Wilder Theater box office. Rendering by Michael Maltzan Architects.