Taylor Swift performed at the sixth annual Academy Museum Gala on October 17, closing an evening that raised more than $14 million for the museum's exhibitions, screenings and education programs, the organization said.
The gala, presented in partnership with Rolex and co-chaired by Tom Ford, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, honored three figures from across filmmaking: director and composer John Carpenter, two-time Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo, and Oscar winner Charlize Theron.
The Honorees
Carpenter, known for Halloween and decades of genre filmmaking, was recognized as the museum opened its new large-scale exhibition, The Horror Show, with a four-night screening series hosted by the director. Domingo was honored for a career spanning stage and screen. Theron received the gala's icon honor; she participated in a public conversation with the museum's Teen Council in August, paired with a screening of Mad Max: Fury Road.
Swift's Performance and the Red Carpet
Swift's performance was announced on October 8 and marked her highest-profile live appearance since the Grammy Museum set in August, weeks after she released new music and received the first-ever VMAs Artist Director Honors at the September 27 ceremony. "Taylor is an extraordinary talent whose work resonates around the world," Academy Museum director and president Amy Homma said in announcing the booking.
The red carpet delivered the season's most star-studded night. Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Justin Bieber were among the names turning out, and the Los Angeles Times named Swift among the ten best-dressed guests at the event.
The museum, which opened in 2021 on Wilshire Boulevard, closed to the public Saturday for the gala and reopened Sunday at noon. Proceeds fund the museum's permanent collection, public programming and educational initiatives.
