On Saturday evening in Los Angeles, The Art of Elysium held its 12th annual black-tie gala, HEAVEN.
The Art of Elysium is an organization supporting artists who work for the benefit of others. Hosted by co-chairs Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, and Evangelo Bousis, the gala kicked off with a cocktail hour, where guests like Kris Jenner, Lili Reinhart, Mel Gibson, Baby Face, Dita Von Teese, Johnny Wujek, and Jennifer Garner sipped specialty cocktails by Ketel One Botanical in a panoramic underwater seascape featuring shark and under-the-sea wall art.
Once guests were seated, founder of The Art of Elysium Jennifer Howell launched the main program with a performance by Compton Kidz Club, followed by the introduction of 2019 Visionary Michael Muller who spoke about his vision of heaven, which is connection. Then, Peter Dundas revealed his latest designs for DUNDAS in an elaborate fashion show featuring makeup by Charlotte Tilbury and a cast of models that included Winnie Harlow, Chanel Iman, Maye Musk, and Enikő Mihalik.
After the runway presentation, guests dined on a delectable menu curated by chef Shirley Chung, during which Master of Ceremonies Oz Pearlman charmed the crowd with a performance. Nearing the end of the evening, Howell presented the 2019 Spirit of Elysium award to Beau Dunn for years of support to the charity, before closing out the event with musical performances by Phantogram, Chuck D, and Linda Perry.
This year’s gala also featured the first iteration of a public online auction, where exclusive donated works by artists like Shepard Fairey, Melanie Pullen, and Beau Dunn will be up for sale alongside HEAVEN coffee table books, limited edition art prints, and more.
