The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), celebrated its 32- year history as one of the world’s leading contemporary art institutions on Saturday, November 12, 2011, with An Artist’s Life Manifesto, a special gala envisioned by renowned performance artist Marina Abramović who served as this year’s gala artistic director. Music and popular culture icon Deborah Harry performed hit songs “One Way or Another” and “Heart of Glass,” as well as tracks from her new album, Panic of Girls, as part of Abramović’s vision for the evening.
The gala, attended by more than 750 guests, raised $2.5 million for the museum, and began at MOCA Grand Avenue with red carpet arrivals of Hollywood celebrities including Pamela Anderson, Ellen Barkin, Minnie Driver, Kirsten Dunst, Lisa Edelstein, Will Ferrell, Miranda July, Jaime King, Jonny Lee Miller, Rose McGowan, Nicole Richie, Gwen Stefani, Tilda Swinton, and Dita Von Teese; California Governor Jerry Brown and Los Angeles Mayor and MOCA Ex Officio Trustee Antonio Villaraigosa; art world luminaries from Los Angeles, New York and beyond; fashion icons; and renowned Los Angeles artists including Doug Aitken, John Baldessari, Mark Bradford, Shepard Fairey, and Ed Ruscha.
An Artist’s Life Manifesto, hosted by Gala Chairs Maria Arena Bell and Eli Broad, Honorary Gala Chairs Larry Gagosian and Dasha Zhukova, who was also in attendance, together with MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch, began with cocktails in the MOCA galleries, including a private preview of the exhibition Naked Hollywood: Weegee in Los Angeles, which opened to the public on November 13. Curated by art historian Richard Meyer, the exhibition is the first museum survey devoted to the body of work that the tabloid photographer known as Weegee produced in Southern California. Guests also previewed the work of Kenneth Anger, also in attendance that night, in the exhibition Kenneth Anger: ICONS, which showcases the films, books, and artwork of one of the most original filmmakers of American cinema. Guests were offered what Abramović called Post-Human Cocktails, provided by Purity Vodka. After previewing the exhibitions, guests proceeded to the gala tent, where they were fitted with crisp, white lab coats before entering the main event.
Founded in 1979, MOCA’s mission is to be the defining museum of contemporary art. The institution has achieved astonishing growth in its brief history—with three Los Angeles locations of architectural renown; more than 13,000 members; a world-class permanent collection of nearly 6,000 works international in scope and among the finest in the nation; hallmark education programs that are widely emulated; award-winning publications that present original scholarship; and groundbreaking monographic, touring, and thematic exhibitions of international repute that survey the art of our time. MOCA is a private not-for-profit institution supported by its members, corporate and foundation support, government grants, and admission revenues. MOCA Grand Avenue and The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA are open 11am to 5pm on Monday and Friday; 11am to 8pm on Thursday; 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday; and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. General admission is $10 for adults; $5 for students with I.D. and seniors (65+); and free for MOCA members, children under 12, and everyone on Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm, courtesy of Wells Fargo. MOCA Pacific Design Center is open 11am to 5pm, Tuesday through Friday; 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday; and closed on Monday. Admission to MOCA Pacific Design Center is always free. For 24-hour information on current exhibitions, education programs, and special events, call 213/626-6222 or access MOCA online at moca.org.