On March 4, 2010, Vanity Fair and BMW partnered with The Art of Elysium to host The Art of Elysium “Pieces of Heaven” Art Auction, in partnership with Christie’s, at the Palihouse Holloway in Los Angeles.
The event was hosted by Amy Smart and Scott Caan, along with Cameron Silver and Jeff Snyder, Laura Villaseñor and Andrew Wilding, Ali Larter and Hayes MacArthur, and Topher Grace.
Additional notable attendees included David Arquette, Rosanna Arquette, Editor-in-Chief of Vanity Fair Graydon Carter, Nicky Hilton, Ryan Kavanaugh, Anna Kendrick, Boucheron’s Masako Kumakura, Rose McGowan, Vanity Fair Publisher Edward Menicheschi, Mark Mothersbaugh, BMW North America’s Vice President Jack Pitney, Louise Roe, Vinessa Shaw, Elijah Wood and more.
Elijah Wood acted as DJ while celebrities, art patrons and LA influentials had a chance to preview more than 50 works of art donated by artists, dealers and private collectors. The unique artwork was available for purchase during a live and silent auction to benefit The Art of Elysium, a non-profit organization which encourages working actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling medical conditions.
Jennifer Howell, Founder of The Art of Elysium, spoke passionately about the organization’s mission and thanked everyone in attendance for their support. She then welcomed Auctioneer Andrea Fiuczynski, President, Christie’s Los Angeles, to the podium to begin the energetic live auction portion of the evening, raising thousands of dollars for the cause.
The event was a continuation of the Annual “Heaven” Gala which takes place the evening before the Golden Globe awards, where the donated works of art are revealed in a limited-edition coffee table book featuring images of the artworks.
BMW’s longstanding commitment to the arts and their “Joy” campaign made them a perfect fit for The Art of Elysium. BMW provided guests with the opportunity to help further support The Art of Elyium by distributing “Share the Joy” cards to each person in attendance. The cards invited guests to test-drive any BMW model at their local BMW center, and as a special thank you, BMW of North America has agreed to make a donation in the guest’s name to The Art of Elysium. Additionally, BMW provided VIP transportation with a fuel efficient fleet of BMW ActiveHybrid 7 and BMW ActiveHybrid X6 vehicles to notables and hosted a special BMW 7 Series car display outside of the venue.
BMW furthered their commitment to The Art of Elysium on February 16, when BMW DesignWorksUSA—a global design consultancy—partnered with The Art of Elysium for an interactive workshop at the Shriners Hospitals for Children, where children got a firsthand glimpse at the magic that goes into designing a BMW.
The Art of Elysium “Pieces of Heaven” Art Auction was part of Vanity Fair’s Campaign Hollywood, the magazine’s annual week-long series of events and one-of-a-kind “moments” leading up to the Academy Awards in support of charitable causes.
