L.A.’s Hottest Fall Events: Gucci’s Fashion Show, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Beverly Hills Restaurant Tatel, LACMA’s Celeb-Filled Gala and More
All eyes will be on Los Angeles come fall — if all goes as planned.
While the surge of the Delta variant has further delayed a return to some form of normalcy, L.A.’s anticipated opening dates are set, for now.
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On Nov. 2, Gucci is expected to present its second collection of 2021, per the Italian house’s new calendar. The last time Gucci showed in the U.S. was in 2015 for cruise 2016 at New York City’s Dia Art Foundation.
Four days later, on Nov. 6, creative director Alessandro Michele will be holding court inside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, as he typically has in recent years, at the museum’s annual Art+Film Gala. Postponed last year due to COVID-19, 2021 marks Gucci’s 11th year as founding and presenting sponsor. This year the star-studded night, which helps fund the museum’s programs, will honor filmmaker Steven Spielberg alongside artists Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley.
But first, there’s the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ own VIP gala, cochaired by filmmakers Ava DuVernay, Ryan Murphy and producer Jason Blum on Sept. 25. The event will recognize writer-producer-director Haile Gerima and actress Sophia Loren, as well as Bob Iger, Annette Bening and Tom Hanks.
The long-awaited museum, the largest institution in the nation devoted to the arts, will finally open its doors to the public a few days later on Sept. 30. As imagined by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Renzo Piano and overseen by director and president Bill Kramer, it’s located at Mid-Wilshire, comprising of an eye-catching sphere theater that’s seen rising behind the former May Company department store, unveiled in 1939. Now renamed the Saban Building, the exterior has been restored, preserving its familiar gold-tiled cylindrical front.
“Obviously everyone has been able to see the evolution of the building from the outside, which has been a spectacular process over the last few years,” said Nathalie Morris, collections curator at the Academy Museum. “I think when they finally get to step inside, they’ll see just how beautiful the rest of the restoration — firstly the building — has been.”
Upon entrance, visitors are immediately immersed in the history of filmmaking through a multiscreen installation featuring 700 clips and stills, explained Morris. Spanning three of the four floors, with more than 50,000 square feet of space, “Stories of Cinema” is the museum’s core gallery. It showcases the early years of the medium, with the influence of The Lumière brothers, to present day. Guests can expect sections developed in collaboration with directors Spike Lee, Pedro Almodóvar, composer Hildur Guenadóttir and sound designer Ben Burtt.
Upstairs, the first gallery highlights “significant movies and moviemakers,” said Morris, with six mini exhibitions, including a look at Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” and Patricia Cardoso’s “Real Women Have Curves,” as well as a temporary section dedicated to Japan’s Hayao Miyazaki.
There are moving images, props, scripts and costumes throughout the museum — including Dorothy’s ruby heels from “The Wizard of Oz.” And along with the exhibitions, there are screenings, talks and programs in the works, with 115 scheduled to take place during the first three months. Events include a showing of “The Wizard of Oz,” accompanied by the American Youth Symphony; a chat between actress Laura Dern and her parents, fellow actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, and a virtual screening of “Y Tu Mamá También,” with appearances by director Alfonso Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. Tickets are available for purchase on the Academy Museum’s website, with general admission priced at $25 for adults.
If the entertainment industry is the pulse of L.A., its blossoming art world has continuously brought heart and newfound excitement to the city. And then there’s the food scene, rooted in the culinary traditions of its immigrants, and driven by its celeb-filled establishments. With the fashionable crowd, Chifa — Humberto Leon’s Peruvian-Chinese family restaurant — made a splash when it first opened, as did Gigi’s, the popular bistro run by Alexander Wilmot.
Now, there’s Talel — opening in Beverly Hills on Sept. 21. The Spanish restaurant, first established in Madrid in 2014 (followed by Ibiza), has some major names attached among its investors: global soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and tennis champion Rafael Nadal.
Courtesy of Tatel
Owned by Mabel Capital, founded by Manuel Campos Guallar and Abel Matutes Prats, expect signature dishes like paella and veal Milanese with truffle created by chef Luigi Fineo.
“We already have a couple of thousands of reservations on the books, and we haven’t even opened publicly, so it’s going be a pretty good turnout for sure,” said Brando Juris, head of Tatel U.S.A.
Located at 453 North Canon Drive — formerly Nic’s — there will be live music daily inside the indoor-outdoor space at Tatel, open from noon to midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday; noon to 2 a.m. from Thursday to Saturday, and Sunday hours are 11:00 a.m. to 12 a.m.
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