Sue Wong's NYE 2016 Celebration w/Retrospective Fashion Installation

Sue Wong gets the Diamond Rose Award from MMPF

By Karen Ostlund

SUE WONG PARTNERED WITH SPONSOR RIVERA PRODUCTIONS TO RING-IN 2016.

Designer Sue Wong was pleased to announce that Rivera Productions (Oscar Riviera) sponsored her New Years’ Eve Fête to ring in 2016. It took place at Sue's own home "The Cedars" - a historical estate built in 1920's w/16 rooms and 15 acres in Silverlake.

She bought the The Cedars in 2004.
The estate was commissioned by French director and screenwriter Maurice Tourneur in 1921 (A Doll's House, Last Of The Mohicans, Lorna Doone) and based on the Venetian styled palazzo of the Duke of Alba in Spain.
 For a time, it was also known as the Talmadge estate after another one of its former owners, silent screen star Norma Talmadge. Through the years, The Cedars has been a host to so many illustrious celebrities, including tycoon Howard Hughes and different generations of stars and musicians including Bela Lugosi, Errol Flynn, Marilyn Monroe, Dennis Hopper, Johnny Depp, Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, Arthur Lee and the band Love and Bob Dylan. Its interiors have been shot for scenes in classic films like Sunset Boulevard and Easy Rider.

New Year's Eve guests enjoyed a retrospective model fashion installation of her gowns designed 10 years ago (2005):

24 signature couture dresses from various eras such as Weimar Berlin, 1930s Shanghai, Hollywood and Manhattan jazz age - Fabrics shimmering with incandescent beads, embroideries and layered textures embellished with passementerie and soutache.

 Retrospective and ushering in 2016 were bubbly champagne sponsor Moreno BHLV Sparkling Wine  & ToastVodka.com . Shots were provided by a new liqueur "Jimi Purple Haze" inside late guitarist Jimi Hendrix Moroccan style bedroom. HINT provided flavored mineral water all night.
 "Purple Haze" was a song written by Jimi Hendrix and released as the second record single by the Jimi Hendrix Experience on March 17, 1967. As a record chart hit in several countries and the opening number on the Experience's debut American album, it was many people's first exposure to Hendrix's psychedelic rock sound.

The enchanted evening was  accented with gorgeous floral arrangements from Zina/ Four Seasons Flowers & Design whose beautiful flowers can be viewed at www.fourseasonsflowers.org/. 

British singer Steve Cooke counts down 2016 w/British rock

Sue Wong's retrospective models wearing dresses from 10 Years ago

Actress Carolyne Hennessey

Actress Bai Ling

Sue Wong (center) w/opera singers Oleksandra Hrabova & Michael Peers

Guests arriving in ballroom NYE 2016 at The Cedars

Jimi Hendrix historic Moroccan bedroom at The Cedars during 1960's

Myself at Sue Wong NYE Bash 2016

The Broad Museum's 2016 LA Premieres

Images: Ratking, photo by Ari Marcopoulos; Daniel Wohl, photo by Nathan Lee; Xandra Ibarra, photo by Shot in the City; Martine Syms, photo by Christopher Horne; Cassils, photo by Pekka Makinen; Tyondai Braxton, photo by Dusdin Condren By K 

 

 THE BROAD MUSEUM's 2016 PROGRAMMING SEASON WILL FEATURE 4 LOS ANGELES PREMIERES

Line-up includes performance artists Martine Syms, Xandra Ibarra and Cassils; musical performances by Ratking, Gabriel Garzón-Montano, Tyondai Braxton and Daniel Wohl; and a film screening of ‘Ashes and Embers,’ to bring new perspectives to the museum’s renowned contemporary art collection

The Broad announced the line-up for the winter/spring season which will continue the museum’s thematic program series and include feminist performances, experimental musical artists and a film screening with panel discussion led by filmmaker Ava DuVernay.  The season includes four Los Angeles premieres by Cassils, Martine Syms, Xandra Ibarra and Daniel Wohl. The Broad’s public programming is a complement to the museum’s extensive collection of contemporary art and brings a fresh perspective to the ideas embodied within the artwork at the museum.   By Karen Ostlund

After presenting two sold-out nights of Finley’s The Jackie Look last month, The Broad’s feminist performance artist series, The Tip of Her Tongue, continues with explorations of the relationship of language to the racialized and gendered body with three emerging California performance artists. 
On Jan. 21, 2016 Martine Syms, an artist who works between poetry and performance to consider what lies between word, gesture and the body, performs Misdirected Kiss, a piece inspired by the curriculum of Maxine Powell, director of the in-house finishing school at Motown Records in the 1960s. 
On April 2,2016  Xandra Ibarra, Cassils and a screening of a film in the Broad collection, Shirin Neshat’s Possessed, 2001, take the audience into and around the museum itself. In Cassils’ and Ibarra’s physical performances, the audience evolves into a crowd, gathered around the resistant, queer spectacle of each artist's body. “These three California performance artists define the leading edge of experimental feminist performance—each approaches the demand to perform with a certain degree of ambivalence. Performance is a way of exploring and unsettling the disciplining of the body, the artist and the audience,” said Jennifer Doyle, professor at UC Riverside and curator of the series.

The Broad’s experimental pop music series, Callings Out of Context, continues with presentations of artists who confront our understanding of musical genres by demonstrating that “pop” as a creative practice can absorb the most disparate of musical types. 
On Jan. 23, 2016 New York–based Ratking’s music and poetic lyrics ricochets between nihilistic punk and self-assured hip-hop refusing to resolve to either type. Opening for Ratking is singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Garzón-Montano, who exemplifies hybridity in his music. 
On Feb. 27,2016  former Battles front man Tyondai Braxton and electro-acoustic musician Daniel Wohl push the edges of electronic music through the compositional rigor of classical music creating complex and fluid sonic landscapes. Wohl presents the Los Angeles premiere of his new album Holographic (New Amsterdam Records) with eight musicians and video artist Daniel Schwarz.

On Feb. 25,2016 the popular ARRAY @ The Broad film series, produced in partnership with filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s arts collective ARRAY, dedicated to the amplification of films by people of color and women filmmakers, will screen Ashes and Embers, 1982, one of the most under-recognized films about race, nationalism and the treatment of Vietnam veterans as they attempt to re-enter society. As with the series’ first presentation of the film Paris Blues earlier this month, DuVernay will invite film, musical and visual artists into a candid dialogue about the issues confronted in the film and the creative practice from the artists’ viewpoint. 
www.thebroad.org/programs

 

The Broad is a new contemporary art museum founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. The museum is designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler and offers free general admission. 
The museum is home to the 2,000 works of art in the Broad collection, which is among the most prominent holdings of postwar and contemporary art worldwide. With its innovative “veil-and-vault” concept, the 120,000-square-foot, $140-million building features two floors of gallery space to showcase The Broad’s comprehensive collection and is the headquarters of The Broad Art Foundation’s worldwide lending library.
 

LA's 56th Annual Free Holiday Concert returns Dec.24th at The Music Center

 

56th Annual FREE
L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION performed Live at The Music Center
returns December 24
broadcast Live on PBS SoCal
streamed Live at pbssocal.org

By Karen Ostlund
The Emmy® Award-winning 56th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration returns December 24th! Music ensembles, choirs and dance companies from the many neighborhoods and cultures of the region will celebrate the season during this free three-hour holiday show that is perfect for the whole family. PBS SoCal (KOCE HD) will broadcast this beloved program.

 Preview of  56th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration:

 https://youtu.be/_mQeQ3nhPmQ

Highlights of Holiday Celebration favorites returning to the show include Grammy-nominated, all-female ensemble Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles with holiday favorites; choral music ensemble Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers; Invertigo Dance Theatre, which will perform a remixed version of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies”; the 40-member choral group Colburn Children’s Choir and Young Men’s Ensemble; and Pacifico Dance Company, performing a folkloric piece from the Chihuahua region of Mexico.
New to the show are Korean-American indie folk-rock band Run River North, MôForró which will perform a medley of holiday songs in the style of Brazilian forró; Mostly Kosher, marking their first appearance on the program with a Hanukkah-inspired infused with a calypso beat; San Gabriel Valley Children’s Chorus, performing traditional holiday music from Taiwan; and more.
Watch it live on PBS SoCal (KOCE HD) and pbssocal.org on December 24 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.; again from 9 p.m. – midnight; and on December 25 at noon. See it free at The Music Center on December 24 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.

 WHEN:
Thursday, Dec. 24 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
• Doors open at 2:30 p.m.
• Entertainment on The Music Center plaza for those waiting in line begins at 12:30 p.m.
• Patrons may come and go throughout the three-hour performance.
• A live broadcast of the show airs from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. on PBS SoCal (KOCE HD).
• Live streaming at pbssocal.org
• The PBS SoCal (KOCE HD) broadcast repeats from 9 p.m. – midnight and again on December 25 at noon; and on PBS SoCal Plus on December 25 at 3 a.m., 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. and December 26 at 11 a.m.

• Performing artists from across Los Angeles County (see below for complete list)
• Sponsored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors• A presentation of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission produced in association with CDK Productions• Live telecast on PBS SoCal is produced by CDK Productions.




WHERE:
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at The Music Center
135 N. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
HOW:
Information hotline: (213) 972-3099 or HolidayCelebration.org
ADMISSION:
FREE; no reservations or tickets to the show; first come, first seated
PARKING:
FREE in The Music Center parking garage
OTHER:
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has sponsored this admission free show for the people of the County every December 24 since 1959. The Holiday Celebration has taken place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion since 1964. The program honors the spirit of many cultures and holiday traditions through music, song and dance.

Artists performing in 56th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration:

• Spanish Harlem Orchestra* will open the show with holiday favorites performed New York “salsa dura”-style.
• Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers will return to the program to perform a repertoire of Negro spirituals.
• Citrus Singers*, a 40-member voice ensemble from Citrus College, will perform Christmas carols featuring handbells.
• Colburn Children’s Choir and Young Men’s Ensemble, a 40-member voice ensemble of the Colburn School of Performing Arts, will perform a medley of holiday songs.
• Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles will return to the program with traditional holiday repertoire.
• Invertigo Dance Theatre will perform a holiday piece inspired by a remixed version of the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies.”
• Korean American Youth Performing Artists* will perform a celebratory Korean drum dance with 22 performers.
• Los Angeles Young Adult Choir of GMWA (Gospel Music Workshop of America)*, a 24-member voice ensemble, will perform a gospel medley of holiday songs.
• Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, a Grammy-nominated all-female ensemble of 12 musicians, will perform holiday favorites.
• Mt. San Antonio College Chamber Singers*, a 38-member voice ensemble, will perform a medley of traditional holiday songs.
• Mountainside Master Chorale will present classic holiday carols.
• MôForró* will perform a medley of holiday selections in the Brazilian forró style.
• Mostly Kosher* will mark their first appearance in this year’s program a Hanukkah-inspired infused with a calypso beat.
• Pacifico Dance Company will present folklorico dance from the Chihuahua region of Mexico to the polka-infused sounds of norteño music.
• Palmdale High School Choral Union and Sunday Night Singers, a 45-member chorus from the Antelope Valley, will present traditional holiday repertoire.
• Run River North*, a Korean-American indie folk-rock band, will debut on the show interpreting traditional holiday music in a folk style.
• Salvation Army Tabernacle Children’s Chorus, the largest and youngest choir on the program, is known for their “choralography” and light-hearted holiday songs.
• San Gabriel Valley Children’s Chorus*, a 22-member voice ensemble, will debut on the Holiday Celebration performing music from Taiwan that celebrates the gathering of children during the holidays.
• Shin Dance Company will perform a celebratory fan dance to Chinese folk music.
• SK Kakraba Band* will perform a traditional Ghanaian song featuring SK Kakraba on the gyil, the Ghanaian xylophone.
 lacountyarts.org

Andaz Holiday Benefit w/Bob Bonis Archive, Fender Music & French Fashion Kooples

 By Karen Ostlund

Rock n’ Roll fashion and rare photographs of the Beatles and Rolling Stones came together to celebrate and support The Fender Music Foundation for the holidays.

The Beatles & Rolling Stones from Bob Bonis Archive

 
Andaz Hotel West Hollywood partnered with The Bob Bonis Archive and The Fender Music Foundation to host a one-night-only holiday benefit rock fashion show last Tuesday, December 15th at the Andaz Mezzanine level.
The Beatles and Rolling Stones photography exhibit was supporting music education, and celebrating legendary Rock n’ Roll designers, artists, influence and legends. 
Guests and music enthusiasts viewed rare photography, Fender memorabilia, and a French fashion show presented by world-renowned designers, The Kooples. TheKooples.com
“Rock N’ Roll is a part of our DNA at Andaz West Hollywood,” said General Manager Lin Schatz. “The hotel was a home away from home for many legendary rock stars including Keith Richards, Robert Plant, and Jim Morrison. We have always honored our Rock N’ Roll past and we are thrilled to support the future rock stars of this country by partnering with The Bob Bonis Archive to support The Fender Music Foundation on this exciting benefit.”

Fender Guitar exhibit: Gipsy King & SugarLand

On display is a collection of photographs taken by Bob Bonis, U.S. Tour Manager for both the Rolling Stones and The Beatles from 1964 – 1966. Curated from a cache of 5,000 mostly unpublished photographs.
The Bob Bonis Archive contains uniquely personal photographs of the bands taken during the Sixties. Kept private by Bonis, who passed away in 1992. The photos were uncovered nearly 50 years after they were taken, and were first made available for public purchase in early 2015 as limited edition, Grammy Museum-certified, fine-art prints.
Limited edition photographs are available for purchase with proceeds benefiting The Fender Music Foundation, which supports music programs and provides instruments for children nationwide.
 FenderMusicFoundation.org

Kooples French Fashion

 "Bringing the Rock back to the Riot House,” as Andaz West Hollywood was affectionately referred to for many years. Attendees also experience a show-stopping runway presentation from The Kooples, which was founded in France and now known the world over.
The Kooples collection boasts chic, innovative designs with a Rock-inspired edge.
Local artists and musicians walked the runway in The Kooples’ designs accompanied by rare Fender guitars in celebration of authentic artistry and the timeless tie between music and fashion.

The model showcase also featured  a close look at designs by the legendary Michel Berandi , Max Noce, Antonio Barragan with Demon Riff,  Jacob Meir with For The Stars and Global Rebels with The Lennon McCartney Collection.

 

Andaz West Hollywood is located at 8401 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069.

 www.westhollywood.andaz.com

To find out more about the the Bob Bonis Archive or to purchase limited edition photographs visit BobBonis.com

 

Actress Joan Collins Auctions Off Her Own 'Dynasty Wardrobe' & More

THE COLLECTION OF DAME JOAN COLLINS

Wednesday, December 15, 2015 – Beverly Hills

By Karen Ostlund

Actress Joan Collins, December 14th at Julien's Auctions Preview. Collins is best known for her role as Alexis Carrington on the hit primetime television drama, “Dynasty,”(1981-89)

 Julien’s Auctions, auction house to the stars, announced The Collection of Dame Joan Collins, an exquisite collection of fashion, jewelry, decorative arts and personal items representing her life and career.The auction is tomorrow, December 16th as a one-day event, open to the public.
Joan Collins, first and foremost, is an actress but she is also a best-selling author, an accomplished producer and a successful entrepreneur.
She was nominated for an Emmy Award and winner of a Golden Globe Award and People’s Choice Award, as well as numerous other awards worldwide, Collins has appeared in more than 60 films and dozens of television programs.
When Alexis Carrington appeared on the hit prime-time television drama, “Dynasty,” women from all over the world dreamed of being her and living the life of luxury and high stakes as only Carrington could have lived.
It was Dame Joan Collins who brought the cunning and beautiful Alexis to life on the screen from 1981 to its end in 1989. The ABC award-winning drama featured Joan Collins alongside John Forsythe, Linda Evans and others.

The tale of Colorado oil tycoon Blake Carrington and the women he loved and wronged captivated America each week for eight years.
The show was also nominated every year for a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Drama.
Collins won the Golden Globe in 1983 for her role in the show.

The legendary Collins has worked aside some of Hollywood’s most popular stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Bette Davis, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas and numerous others.
Some of her most memorable films include “The Girl in The Red Velvet Swing,” “Rally Round the Flag Boys,” and “The Virgin Queen.”
Her work in television has included TV shows such as “Starsky & Hutch,” “Mission Impossible,” “Love Boat” and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” just to name a few. Since Joan made her stage debut at the age of nine and signed her first film contract at the age of 16, she has gone on to become one of the most iconic and recognizable Hollywood stars of our time.

Highlights from The Collection of Dame Joan Collins include outstanding couture dresses from the 1960s, costumes, designer fashions and accessories, jewelry, career memorabilia, decorative art, furniture and personal items as the love-letters from Warren Beatty. These highlights include two vintage Louis Vuitton steamer trunks, a 1961 beaded event worn couture dress, a couture halter dress worn to the “Doctor Doolittle” premiere, costumes from “Dynasty” including event worn gowns designed by Nolan Miller, a custom made white fox and mink cape designed by furrier Edward Lowell, a collection of costume jewelry dating from the 1960s to present and a gold perfume bottle gifted to Collins from Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner. Other highlights include furnishings and many personal items.
Collins is also a tireless humanitarian and patron of worldwide charities including the International Foundation for Children with Learning Disabilities, The Shooting Star/Chase charity and others. In 1997 Dame Joan Collins was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to the Dramatic Arts and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2015 for her services to charity.

1960 Love letters from Warren Beatty to Joan Collins

PUBLIC EXHIBITION
BEVERLY HILLS
 The Collection of Dame Joan Collins will be featured in a full-color collectible catalog.
The catalog will be available at www.juliensauctions.com
Free to the Public
LIVE AND ONLINE AUCTION
Wednesday, December 16th, 2015
Property From The Collection of
Dame Joan Collins
Session I: 9:00 a.m. PST
Icons and Idols: Hollywood
Session II: 1:00 p.m. PST
EXHIBITION AND AUCTION LOCATION
Julien’s Auctions Beverly Hills
9665 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 150
Beverly Hills, California 90210

The 84th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade will air Dec.11 & Dec.19

By Karen Ostlund in Hollywood
The 84^th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade, the largest Christmas celebration in America,
 will premiere as a two-hour special on The CW Network on Friday, December 11 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.  Long-time parade partner Hallmark Channel will air multiple runs beginning Saturday, December 19 on their Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel.
The parade will kick off at Hollywood blvd, corner Orange, and air to more than one million American servicemen and women worldwide on American Forces Network. Media partners for this year's parade include Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Variety, KTLA, Radio Disney, Hallmark Channel and KOST.

The parade and television broadcast will be co-hosted by popular television personalities Erik Estrada and Laura McKenzie.

The musical performances will be featured on two separate stages during the parade and national telecast, and will include the following artists: Clay Aiken; India.Arie; Band of Merrymakers featuring Mark McGrath, Natasha Bedingfield, Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees, Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra and Sam Hollander; Daughtry; Diana Degarmo; Kat Graham; Candice Glover; Taylor Hicks; Alexander Jean featuring B.C. Jean and Mark Ballas; Sean Kingston; Heather Russell; Ruben Studdard; and Ace Young. Performances will feature the Marine Toys for Tots program, which is essential in providing gifts to less fortunate children everywhere.

 In addition to the musical performances, a "Magic of Christmas" segment from the magicians appearing on the hit TV series "Masters of Illusion" will also take place.

A special salute to American soaps will also be featured with appearances by General Hospital's Rick Hearst, Emme Rylan and Bradford Anderson; The Young & Restless' Tristan Rogers, Kate Linder, Bryton James and Christel Khalil; The Bold & The Beautiful's Scott Clifton and Jacqueline Macinnes Wood; Days Of Our Lives' Martha Madison, Deidre Hall and Galen Gering.

Penn & Teller, stars of the hit CW series "Penn & Teller: Fool Us," will be the Grand Marshals for this year's parade.
The show was presented and produced by Associated Television International, the live event, was taped earlier for network television, Sunday, November 29.

This year the parade will honor Oscar de la Hoya with the "Humanitarian Award" for his outstanding charity work over the years.

 Deidre Hall will make a special presentation to Toys For Tots.
The parade and television broadcast will be co-hosted by popular television personalities Erik Estrada, Laura McKenzie, Dean Cain, Montel Williams, with special co-hosts Elizabeth Stanton and Garrett Clayton.

Grand Marshals Penn & Teller

 Grand Marshals Penn &Teller, world acclaimed magicians and entertainers, have been performing as a duo together for the last four decades, combining magic with comedy.  Headlining in Las Vegas at The Penn & Teller Theatre at The Rio Hotel, the two are currently starring in the "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" series produced by 1/17 Productions and airing on The CW Network, and have also been featured in numerous stage and television shows.

 A true Hollywood tradition, this year's parade includes over 4,000 participants and attracts more than one million in attendance each year, with larger than life inflatable character balloons and celebrity filled cars making the much heralded trek down the over three mile parade route.

 www.thehollywoodchristmasparade.org. 

Finale with Santa Claus

The 84^th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade will play host to a variety of bands, equestrians and sponsors. Below is a list of  participants:

Bands
Long Beach Junior
Bloomington HS North
Cedarburg HS
Kaiser High School
Blazen Divas
KAYPA
Italian Group
PAVA
Golden Sail
Mountain Fifes and Drums
Rancho Verde Crimson Regiment
LA Catholic
LA Police Emerald Society Pipes and Drums
Porterville
Gadsden
1^st Marines San Diego

Equestrians
Knott's Berry Farm,
Budweiser,
Wells Fargo,
CHiPs (will also have a car, and Harley's)
Majestic Acres
Charros de La Puente
Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers
Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society

Sponsors and Novelties 
Coalition to Salute America's Heroes – Jack Scalia and Matt Pennington
Gumby – Gumby character and balloon
L.A. Ballet – from the Nutcracker
Hollywood Hotel – Elf and candy cane balloons
Nebuta float and Drummers
Health Net with Covered California
Chuck E. Cheese
Archibald

Petersen Automotive Museum re-opens w/$125 millions of make-over

25 Galleries
132 Cars
24 Motorcycles
1 Boblsed

 By Karen Ostlund
 
  “I am proud to announce that the new Petersen Automotive Museum is open on schedule, on budget and with 

interior and exterior designs that are even more stunning then the concept renderings – and that is a rare feat 
in both the architecture and museum worlds,” said Executive Director Terry Karges.

Petersen Museum seen from outside, corner of Fairfax and Wilshire

 He continued:
“Thanks to the efforts of Kohn Pedersen Fox, Matt Construction, A. Zahner Company, The Scenic Route and our incredible Petersen team."
 
"We have transformed a building that was once an old department store into one of the most groundbreaking 
structures in Los Angeles. What’s inside is just as stunning, including a three-story spiral staircase that transports visitors through 25 galleries representing the history, industry and artistry of the automobile.”

The new Petersen Automotive Museum now has three full floors of content with 95,000 square feet of exhibit space. Guests are invited to enter the museum through either the parking structure off Fairfax or the new entrance on famed Wilshire Boulevard. There they can see several display vehicles in the David and Ginny Sydorick Grand Concourse, purchase tickets, and take an elevator to the third floor, where the experience begins.

First car model 1886

After a 14-month total transformation that shrouded the exterior with ribbons of stainless steel and an 
interior packed with priceless vehicles and cutting-edge technology, the Petersen Automotive Museum 
at the gateway of Los Angeles’ famed Museum Row has reopened on time, on budget and packed with 
hundreds of new sites, sounds and experiences for visitors of all ages. 
Displays include some of history’s most breathtaking collector cars, championship winning race cars, groundbreaking art cars, famous Hollywood vehicles, seminal motorcycles and more. 

1971 De Tomaso Pantera owned by Elvis Presley

The History Floor (3) will help visitors dive into nostalgia as they explore the multi-faceted history of the automobile. “Concept Cars as Art” the The third floor is Audrey and Martin Gruss Foundation Gallery shows what the future looked like in the 1950s and 60s, while the Hollywood Gallery includes the Batmobile, the Magnum P.I. Ferrari, several vehicles from Spectre – the latest James Bond movie, the Pontiac Aztec from Breaking Bad and other fan favorites.
Also featured on the third floor is the pivotal exhibit “Southern California: A Region in Motion” in the Southland Gallery, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, which uses interactive video content to show how Los Angeles grew out, instead of up, like most cities.

As visitors descend the staircase to the Industry Floor (2), they can explore the diversity of automotive design and technology and see cars that have been modified for speed and efficiency. Learn what it’s like to work in the car industry and watch automotive design students as they design the next generation of transportation.

1957 Ferrari

 One of the most visually stunning displays in the museum is the Precious Metal exhibit in the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery presented by Rolex, a gathering of the world’s rarest and most exotic cars – all finished in silver. Just a few samples of the incredible vehicles in this gallery include a 1995 McLaren F1, the 1959 Chevrolet Corvette XP-87 Stingray designed, driven and raced by GM President of Design Bill Mitchell, the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 driven by James Bond in the movie Goldfinger, a stunning 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic by Ghia, a 1957 Ferrari 625/250 Testa Rossa by Scaglietti known as one of the most winning Ferraris of its time, and a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner driven by Juan-Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss.

Disney Pixar Car

The Pixar Cars Mechanical Institute features a life-size Lightning McQueen and uses augmented reality technology to tech children how cars really work, starring their favorite characters from the Cars movies on Carspad tablets. At the Art Center College of Design Studio in the Mullin Design Gallery, visitors can watch students from the world’s most respected transportation design program sketch and mold the next generation of vehicular transport. The Industry Professionals exhibit in the Roeder-Harman Gallery presented by AIG in partnership with Grundy Insurance features interviews with the engineers, designers, marketers and executives who take cars from design to reality – all hosted by Jay Leno. The Alternative Power exhibit, presented by Landi Renzo, showcases the history and future of alternative fuel vehicles – from early 20th century steam and electric cars to the latest in hybrid, CNG and fuel cell technology.

Italian restaurant DRAGO will open inside Petersen Spring 2016

Cooking demo by DRAGO: Crespelle w/Fungi, Fontina and Tartufo

The Production Gallery presented by Maserati features “Made in Italy: Design to Line,” an exhibit showcasing how a production luxury car goes from rendering to model to finished vehicle. Continue down the hall and visitors can visit the High Performance Road Cars exhibit presented by Ford Motor Company, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Ford’s historic win at LeMans with the museum’s GT40 MkIII alongside the all-new Ford GT supercar. From there fans can step into the winner’s circle in the Motorsports exhibit in the Charles Nearburg Family Gallery presented by Lucas Oil Products, featuring some of the fastest and most seminal race cars of all time, backed by a 134-foot, 180-degree projection wall immersing visitors in the sights and sounds of these incredible cars on the track. Directly behind the Motorsports exhibit is the Forza Motorsport Racing Experience, where fans can get behind the wheel of a variety of vehicles and try their hand at racing on driving rigs running the latest version of Microsoft’s racing simulator.

1978 Chevron and 1964 Alfa Romeo

From the Driving Gallery, visitors step out of the four-wheeled world and into the Motorcycles Exhibit in the Richard Varner Family Gallery, presented by Bonnier Motorcycle Group. This exhibit features nearly two dozen of the fastest, rarest, most beautiful or sometimes oddest two-wheeled vehicles from history. Finally, the second floor features a gallery that bears the name of the brand that got Robert E. Petersen his start – the Hot Rod Gallery, presented by TEN – The Enthusiast Network. This exhibit celebrates Hot Rod Magazine, Petersen’s first publication, along with the cars featured in the magazine over the years, artifacts from Petersen’s life and a selection of wildly customized cars – from iconic customs (the Hirohata Merc and Billy Gibbons’ “CadZZilla”) to lowriders, roadsters and race cars.

Batman movie motor bike

One last trip down the grand staircase and visitors will find themselves on the Peter and Merle Mullin Artistry Floor (1), where they can discover the most artfully designed vehicles from history, often regarded as rolling sculpture. Explore how the automobile has been interpreted as the subject of fine art and even used as a canvas for artistic expression. The Mullin Grand Salon features the exhibit Artistry of the Automobile, featuring some of the finest coachbuilt cars of the art deco era, from the 1936 Type 57sc Bugatti Atlantic to the 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C SS Figoni et Falaschi Teardrop, and more. This gallery also houses a 166-foot panoramic display wall displaying motion graphic art inspired by the “golden ratio,” a design standard often used in Art Deco era design.

From the Mullin Grand Salon, visitors can move to the Ken and Dayle Roath Gallery, featuring a curated display of cover art from the 106-year history of Westways Magazine, the print publication of the Automobile Club of Southern California. Never before has such a collection been assembled and displayed in one place.

Finally, the last exhibit on the top-to-bottom tour is also the first one visitors see upon entering the museum – BMW Art Cars in the Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery, presented by BMW of North America. The BMW Art Car program was launched by French auctioneer/racer Hervé Poulain, who commissioned Alexander Calder to design the livery of a 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL. The car was campaigned at the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans by Sam Posey, Jean Guichet and Hervé Poulain and was one of Calder’s last works. Also on display is the 1995 BMW 850 CSi designed by highly influential British artist David Hockney, who now lives a few miles from the Petersen, as well as the 2008 BMW Z4 used by South African artist Robin Rhode for the “Expression Of Joy” project. Rhode utilized the car as an internal-combustion paint brush: He remotely activated paint sprayers directed onto the tires as the Z4 drove over a large canvas. A piece of the Expression of Joy canvas is displayed on the wall in the Hammer Foundation Gallery, as are images and information on all 17 BMW Art Cars.

To see it all, the Petersen Automotive Museum opens to the public on Monday, December 7th. 
The museum is open seven days a week, from 10am to 6pm, and admission prices are as follows: adults - $15, seniors and students - $12, children - $7, active duty military and educators – free, Children under 3 – free. 
www.petersen.org