MOCA NEW: DESIGNS ON A BLACK-TIE MUSEUM GALA!

All photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy

Nearly a thousand art supporters came out to a black-tie event for MOCA’s 30th anniversary. A huge tent was staged right on Grand Avenue in order to house the elegant dining area and the stage for the night’s performances. (above)

Okay…last night was FANTASTIC. Went to the annual Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) black-tie gala.

After a day of indecision as to whether I was feeling up for going…I finally decided cold or no cold I’m going…I bit the bullet at 5:30p, whipped on my Badgely Mischka black evening gown and at 6:00pm zipped off to this annual fete with sister DS (who was looking stunning in a simple black Dolce & Gabbana dress, a fab beaded necklace thing and to die for Prada shoes).

Anyhoooooo…off we went to MOCA to help celebrate the museum’s 30th anniversary. Every year the gala is just amazing. Under the previous museum director Jeremy Strick, these parties were just stunningly dramatic and elegant – like no other parties I had ever been to. Strick was the one who kicked off this whole idea of a gala for the museum years ago and raised the profile of the institution 100-fold during his tenure.

We’ve been big supporters of the museum for years (and dare I say probably even bigger supporters once all of the chic parties started…is that bad?…I know…it is all about the art…I know…). So attending this year’s event was a social no-brainer for me and my sister.

We arrived to see a humongous tent had been constructed right on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles with the Walt Disney Concert Hall looming in the background. It was quite a spectacular sight.

The valet ushered us out of our car, we checked in and were immediately rushed towards that night’s equivalent of a red carpet (it was pink). In front of us, an older woman sporting a large fur coat (in L.A. mind you) was clearly surprised by the spectacle of the event and the grandeur of the entrance; I heard this older woman say to the museum usher, “Do we really have to walk through all of this?”…she was referring to the scene of hundreds of paparazzi, camera crews and bright lights. The museum usher responded, “Yes ma’am. This is the only way into the event.”

With that said…off we went down the “red carpet”…

My favorite part of this evening was being reunited with MOCA’s incredible permanent collection which includes this Mark Rothko painting that I hadn’t seen in decades. This view is during the cocktail hour as guests wandered through the museums formidable collection that includes the masters of modern and contemporary art…Rothko, Pollock, Lichtenstein, Picasso, Rauchenberg and so many more. (above)

It was the who’s who of Los Angeles. Politicians, business people, artists, celebrities and so many other luminaries from the community…all mingling and greeting during the cocktail hour (it was actual two hours).

I must say, my one critique of the event is that there may have been too many celebrities there for my taste (can there ever be too many celebrities? Yes, she emphatically replies after living in Los Angeles all of her life)…it felt a bit like attending the Emmys or a cheesy Hollywood party in that respect. Whoa is me…I bore with all of the stars and the likes….I made it through the treachery of too many celebrities, champagne, glitz, glamour and good times (I am being facetious…I think…). Let’s see…I might as well go through the list of famous faces I saw during the cocktail hour…Zoe Saldana, Christina Ricci, Marisa Tomei, Chris O’Donnell, Jessica Alba, Guy Ritchie (I think or at least a guy who looked like Guy Ritchie), Eva Mendes. Kate Beckinsale, and the entire soap opera cast of The Young & the Restless (yes, that’s right)…. etc…etc…blah blah blah… (Oh…just looked on the internet and saw that Brad and Angelina were there too…well who knew…).

Celebs schmlebs…I was most thrilled when we ran into renowned L.A. contemporary artist Mark Bradford. My sister and I have met Mark over the years, loved his work and watched his career sky rocket. We sidled up to Mark in order to say our usual art party hellos and were absolutely ecstatic after to have seen and spoken to this art superstar once again.

Anyhooo…

Then it was into the dinner tent and a performance by Lady Gaga and the Bolshoi Ballet dancers….

The tent was draped in red, with large crystal chandeliers, long tables draped in red with gold accents everywhere…Rococo was the goal. (above)

Lady Gaga and the Bolshoi Ballet perform on stage at MOCA New – the museum’s 30th Anniversary Gala.(above)

We left the delightful dinner before dessert arrived…we left feeling good about Los Angeles, MOCA and hopeful for the future of contemporary art in our city of angels!

What a great night. 🙂

All photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy