Saturday night, LACMA hosts its 15th Art+Film Gala, honouring artist Vija Celmins and filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, with Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio co-chairing for the 15th year running and Rosé as the musical guest. It’s the kind of guest list you’re invited onto rather than one you book. Villeneuve arrives at a good moment: the Dune films have won eight Academy Awards between them, the final part lands in December, and he’s next in line to direct James Bond. Chow describes the night as a celebration of “creative icons and the connections between all forms of creativity,” and the money it raises goes towards making film more central to what the museum shows.

That idea, art and film in the same room, runs through the whole city this month. Here’s where we’d spend it.

GO TO LACMA FOR THE MORNING AFTER THE GALA

The gala gets the photographs. The building gets the second look. This is the first Art+Film night since the David Geffen Galleries opened in spring, and Peter Zumthor’s long concrete structure is the real reason to go back. The guests leave on Saturday night. The galleries are open to everyone from Sunday. Go on a weekday, take your time, and finish with a coffee on Wilshire.

Where: 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile
Website: lacma.org | @lacma

GO TO THE MARCIANO FOR A LOVE LETTER TO CELLULOID

Tacita Dean has spent her career defending film, the physical kind that runs through a projector. Her show “FILM” at the Marciano Art Foundation runs until 27 February 2027, which makes it the slow-burn pick of the season. It’s the show for anyone who still misses the sound of a reel.

When: Until 27 February 2027
Where: Marciano Art Foundation, Wilshire Blvd.
Website: marcianoartfoundation.org

GO TO FAHEY/KLEIN FOR OLD HOLLYWOOD IN BLACK AND WHITE

If you only have an hour, spend it with Herb Ritts at Fahey/Klein, which runs until 28 November. Ritts photographed the faces that defined an era, Madonna at San Pedro in 1990 among them, and seeing the prints at gallery scale is a reminder of how much a single frame can carry. It’s small, it’s free, and it’s on La Brea, so lunch is never far away.

When: Until 28 November
Where: Fahey/Klein Gallery, La Brea Ave.
Website: faheykleingallery.com

GO TO THE GETTY FOR THE CITY, SEEN FIVE WAYS

“Every Minute Is History: Five Views of Los Angeles” runs at the Getty Center until 3 January 2027. Five ways of looking at the city, from a museum that sits above it. Go late in the afternoon, when the light over the hills does half the work for you.

When: Until 3 January 2027
Where: Getty Center, Brentwood
Price: Free entry, paid parking
Website: getty.edu | @gettymuseum

GO TO THE LUCAS MUSEUM FOR STORIES, IN EVERY FORM

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is one of this year’s new arrivals. It’s built around the idea that a picture is a story, whether it’s a painting, an illustration or a frame from a film. It’s still new enough to visit before everyone has an opinion about it.

Where: Exposition Park
Website: lucasmuseum.org

The gala gets one night. The rest of the city keeps the conversation going all month.