Since 1986, the Collectors Committee has assembled each spring to acquire major artworks for LACMA’s permanent collection. Each year this distinguished group of donors gathers for a weekend of art, food and wine, and fun. The event culminates in the Collectors Committee Gala, at which members vote for artworks to join LACMA’s permanent collection.
To begin the weekend, members are invited to one of several private dinners in LACMA trustees’ homes, each prepared by a celebrity chef and paired with wines from renowned California vintners. Past chefs have included José Andres and Aitor Zabala (The Bazaar), Thomas Keller (French Laundry), Christopher Kostow (The Restaurant at Meadowood), Nancy Silverton (Mozza), and many more. Past vintners have included Ann Colgin and Joe Wender (Colgin Cellars), Deborah and H. William Harlan (Harlan Estates), Ann and Stan Kroenke (Screaming Eagle), Beth Novak Milliken (Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery), and more.
On the following day members return to LACMA to view artworks presented by LACMA’s curators as possible acquisitions for the museum. Following a private viewing and curator presentations, Collectors Committee members attend the Collectors Committee Gala to vote for which artworks will be acquired with funds pooled from Collectors Committee membership dues, a live auction held at the gala, and any additional funds members wish to contribute.
Over its long history the Collectors Committee is has made numerous acquisitions in all areas of LACMA’s collections, including important artworks by George Bellows, Dorothea Lange, Glenn Ligon, Benedetto Luti, Christian Marclay, Agnes Martin, Roberto Matta, Edvard Munch, and Pablo Picasso, as well as masterpieces of African, ancient American, Japanese, and Korean art. Learn more about the most recent Collectors Committee acquisitions.
Membership in the Collectors Committee: $15,000, $30,000 or $60,000.