Save Venice's 'Los Angeles Celebration' Weekend Raises $430,000

The fantastical atmosphere of opening-evening festivities at Tony Duquette's Dawnridge in Beverly Hills, graciously hosted by Ruth & Hutton Wilkinson. Photo by Nina Fernandez/BFA.com.

Special Event News

Save Venice’s ‘Los Angeles Celebration’ Weekend Raises $430,000

February 2024

Splendor Meets Hollywood Glamour,” marking its first major event in California in over a decade. Attended by nearly 100 patrons, the weekend raised $430,000 for the mission. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the event’s Directors, Producers, hosts, speakers, and guests.

Festivities began Friday the 16th during golden hour at the legendary Dawnridge Estate in Beverly Hills, graciously hosted by event “Directors” Ruth & Hutton Wilkinson. Guests explored the property’s lush gardens spread over three terraces, enjoying cocktails, dinner, music by the Johnny Holiday Quartet, and captivating dance performances by The Isadora Duncan International Institute, Inc. View photos from the Dawnridge evening on BFA.com.

Earlier in the day, “Producers” gathered for an exclusive welcome lunch hosted in Bel Air at the Tudor Revival home of filmmaker Tom Dolby & Spencer Alcorn, built in 1937 and once the residence of film star Betty Grable.

Juan Prieto, Lou Rena Hammond, Lee Essex Doyle, Ian Kelly. Photo by Nina Fernandez/BFA.com.

Save Venice Board President Charles Tolbert presenting Hosts Ruth & Hutton Wilkinson with a framed photo of the Ceres and Mercury sculptures in the Room of the Four Doors, Palazzo Ducale, which will be restored in their honor. Photo by Nina Fernandez/BFA.com.

Guests enjoying a festive cocktail reception at Dawnridge. Photo by Nina Fernandez/BFA.com.

Weekend "Producers" enjoy an exclusive luncheon at the home of Tom Dolby & Spencer Alcorn in Bel Air.

On Saturday the 17th, guests convened at The Peninsula Beverly Hills for lunch and an enlightening lecture on “Venice in the Movies” by The New Yorker writer Anthony Lane. Mr. Lane mesmerized the audience with his witty humor and thoughtfully curated clips from cinematic classics including “Senso” and “Summertime,” suggesting that the profound emotional depth and narrative richness portrayed by Venetian Old Masters such as Jacopo Tintoretto remain unparalleled by any film. Save Venice thanks Save Venice San Diego ambassadors John & Annasue Wilson for making this presentation possible. View photos from the luncheon and lecture on BFA.com.

Anthony Lane of The New Yorker presents a talk on Venice in the Movies at The Peninsula Beverly Hills. Photo by Victor Arriola/BFA.com.

Annasue Wilson, Anthony Lane, Julia Marciari-Alexander, Save Venice Board Chairman Frederick Ilchman, John Wilson. Photo by Victor Arriola/BFA.com.

As twilight descended, festivities shifted to the historic Cicada Restaurant & Lounge in downtown Los Angeles. Guests donned sparkling white-tie and black-tie and were treated to a dazzling cocktail reception and dinner followed by performances by Johnny Holiday and his orchestra, and the sensational Honey Taps. The Art Deco designed ballroom housed in the landmark Oviatt Building radiated with energy as attendees danced the night away, reveling in the enchantment of the “Glittering Gala Dinner Dance.” View photos from the Cicada Club event on BFA.com.

Guests don black tie for the Glittering Gala Dinner Dance at the historic Cicada Club in downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Nina Fernandez/BFA.com.

Save Venice Executive Director Amy Gross, Save Venice Board Chairman Frederick Ilchman, Elizabeth Segerstrom. Photo by Nina Fernandez/BFA.com.

Joy Dinsdale, Merrill Shields, and Tanya Mathews. Photo by Nina Fernandez/BFA.com.

Save Venice Emeritus Director Matthew White, Lauren Kulchinsky Levison, Save Venice President Charles Tolbert, Alexis Crews, Save Venice Director of Development Kim Manjarres. Photo by Nina Fernandez/BFA.com.

The grand finale on Sunday the 18th featured an exclusive afternoon at The Getty Center. Led by Senior Conservator of Paintings Ulrich Birkmaier, Senior Curator of Drawings Dr. Julian Brooks, and Senior Curator of Paintings Dr. Davide Gasparotto, attendees enjoyed private art tours including a visit to the conservation lab, and encountering masterpieces by artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Francesco Guardi, and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo up close. View photos from The Getty tour on BFA.com.

Getty conservator Ulrich Birkmaier giving a private tour of the conservation lab showing a painting by Artemisia Gentileschi undergoing treatment. Photo by Victor Arriola/BFA.com.

Los Angeles Celebration guests at The Getty Center. Photo by Victor Arriola/BFA.com.

The weekend closed with a farewell reception generously hosted by Scott & Gina Jordan in their Beverly Hills penthouse featuring stunning views of the city and an exceptional collection of rare books. Interiors of the Jordan’s home were designed by Matthew White & Frank Webb of White Webb.

Gina & Scott Jordan, the gracious hosts of the final event to the Los Angeles Celebration.

Guests enjoy a special tour of a rare book collection at the home of Scott and Gina Jordan.

Whispering Angel, the corporate sponsor of the weekend, generously donated Rosé at the weekend’s events, while Juan Prieto and Hutton & Ruth Wilkinson’s in their roles as “Directors” ensured festive and unforgettable celebrations at Dawnridge and the Cicada Restaurant & Lounge.