Blondie fronts a new Gucci campaign by Nan Goldin, MoMA and Chanel will honor Samuel L. Jackson at the museum’s 16th annual Film Benefit, the Hammer Museum names its new director, Sophia Loren celebrates her 90th birthday and Zara fêtes its new Stefano Pilati collaboration.
Debbie Harry fronts new Gucci campaign shot by Nan Goldin
Gucci has unveiled a new campaign dubbed “We Will Always Have London.” Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry and Kelsey Lu are the faces of the campaign, which was shot by American photographer and activist Nan Goldin and showcases the Gucci Blondie bag and the Cruise 2025 collection.
A tribute to the House’s ongoing love affair with London, where the Cruise 2025 collection debuted, Goldin brings her distinctive vision to the campaign, weaving a story where fashion transcends the runway and embodies the free-spirited energy at the core of Sabato De Sarno’s vision. Harry, a cultural icon and co-founder and lead vocalist of rock band Blondie, and performing artist, cellist and composer Kelsey Lu, meanwhile, embody the spirit of the Gucci Blondie bag and the Cruise 2025 collection.
London holds a special place in the luxury brand’s history. It was over a century ago that a young Guccio Gucci first encountered the international elite while working as a lift boy at The Savoy hotel. The experience sparked his ambition and led to the founding of his eponymous leather goods house in 1921.
The campaign features moments in London’s iconic cabs and the Tate Modern – the site of the Cruise runway show. Joining Harry and Lu are Alaato Jazyper, the face of Gucci’s Fall Winter 2024 campaign, and Yanan Wan, who opened the Cruise 2025 runway at the art gallery in May.
At the heart of the campaign is the reimagined Gucci Blondie bag, which was first introduced in the early 1970s. The Gucci Cruise 2025 collection continues this dialogue between past and future, weaving together contrasting elements in a celebration of opposites.
The Blondie handbag is available on gucci.com and in stores now.
Samuel L. Jackson to be honored at MoMA’s 2024 Film Benefit, presented by Chanel
The Museum of Modern Art’s 2024 Film Benefit, presented by Chanel, will honor actor Samuel L. Jackson on Oct. 23.
Jackson has appeared in more than 150 films throughout his career and cumulatively his films have grossed more at the global box office than any other actor. He has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Tony Awards and an Emmy Award, among many other honors, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2022.
“Samuel L. Jackson has become a landmark cultural figure thanks to his early film work with Spike Lee, which transfixed both audiences and critics, and his biblically powerful turn as the wise and merciless assassin Jules in ‘Pulp Fiction,’” Rajendra Roy, MoMA’s Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, said. “He has acting roots in the New York theater, just a few blocks away from MoMA, and we are thrilled to welcome him in celebration of his unparalleled accomplishments.”
In addition to the 16th annual benefit, MoMA will present “Samuel L. Jackson: A Tribute” in the Roy and Niuta Titus Theater from Oct. 4–16, screening films including “Changing Lanes,” “187,” “Captain Marvel” and his latest feature, an adaptation of August Wilson’s play “The Piano Lesson,” directed by Malcolm Washington, ahead of its theatrical release on Nov. 8 and Netflix streaming release on Nov. 22.
Chanel has been a proud sponsor of MoMA’s annual Film Benefit since 2011, and has served as lead sponsor of film at MoMA since 2021. As a longtime patron of art and cinema, the French fashion house is committed to supporting film as one of art’s most potent mediums by creating opportunities to elevate and amplify the voices of film’s most talented and audacious storytellers and through the preservation of cinema’s legacy worldwide.
Founded in 1935, MoMA’s Department of Film cares for more than 30,000 films and 1.5 million film stills. It has one of the strongest international film collections, ranging from classics to the most innovative and experimental works of today. The Film Benefit enables the continued maintenance and growth of this important collection, as well as virtual programming and an ambitious schedule of film series, premieres, festivals and retrospectives.
Previous MoMA Film Benefit honorees include Guillermo del Toro, Penélope Cruz, George Clooney, Laura Dern, Martin Scorsese, Julianne Moore, Tom Hanks, Cate Blanchett, Alfonso Cuarón, Tilda Swinton, Quentin Tarantino, Pedro Almodóvar, Kathryn Bigelow, Tim Burton and Baz Luhrmann.
The Hammer Museum names Zoë Ryan as its new director
Zoë Ryan will serve as the Hammer Museum‘s next director, Marcy Carsey, chair of the museum’s board of directors, announced Monday.
This appointment follows the 2023 announcement of longtime director Ann Philbin’s retirement after 25 years leading the museum. Philbin will step down in November; Ryan will take over on Jan. 1.
Ryan comes to the Hammer Museum from the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at the University of Pennsylvania, where she has been the Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director since 2020. In this role, Ryan oversaw a critically acclaimed program of exhibitions, spearheaded the creation of an annual art commission and expanded public engagement efforts with a focus on building partnerships with the university, museums and arts organizations locally, nationally and internationally.
From 2006–2020, Ryan was the John H. Bryan Chair and Curator of Architecture and Design at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she set the vision for collecting and exhibiting modern and contemporary architecture and design, overseeing a collection of more than 250,000 objects, including works on paper, textiles, architectural models, furniture and photography. In 2014, Ryan was the curator of the second Istanbul Design Biennial: The Future Is Not What It Used to Be.
“I am thrilled to welcome Zoë to the Hammer Museum and look forward to her leadership and collaboration with the museum’s board, staff, UCLA and the many artists who make up the Hammer’s community,” Carsey said. “Zoë is a leader known for building support for daring and ambitious projects and her steadfast commitment to artists. We’re very excited for her to bring these skills to the Hammer.”
“The Hammer Museum is one of the most exciting museums in the country. It has had an electrifying effect on Los Angeles’ ascendance as a global arts capital,” Ryan said. “With its experimental exhibitions and dynamic public programs, the Hammer has set the pace for museums to engage with the critical issues of our time, whether politics, climate change and justice and equity for all. Annie Philbin has had an extraordinary impact in making the Hammer an internationally influential institution; I am thrilled and honored to lead this museum and be a part of the vibrant creative communities of Los Angeles.”
Sophia Loren celebrates her 90th birthday in Rome with a new luxury hotel suite created in her honor
On Sept. 20, iconic Italian actress Sophia Loren marked her 9oth birthday on the rooftop of Anantara Palazzo Naidi Rome Hotel. To mark the occasion, the hotel also announced its new Sophia Loren Suite, in honor of its most glamorous guest.
Over 200 guests, including producer Aurelio De Laurentiis, Alessandra Mussolini, actor and director Christian De Sica, Trudie Styler, philanthropist Regina Scully, tenor Al Bano, singer Gigi D’Alessio, Valentino co-founder Giancarlo Giammetti and conductor Zubin Mehta, gathered at the hotel to celebrate Italy’s beloved star.
Loren was dressed for the occasion by Giorgio Armani, and guests were served a carefully curated menu of her favorite dishes inspired by her cookbooks, prepared by the hotel’s executive chef, Heros De Agostinis. Tables were named for the star’s most famous films, including “A Special Day,” “Two Women,” “The Sunflowers,” “The Gold of Naples” and “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.” The evening ended with the presentation of a nine-tier birthday cake decorated with white chocolate roses (Loren’s favorite flowers), prepared by the hotel’s pastry chef, Daniele De Santi.
The evening also served as an opportunity to officially unveil the Sophia Loren Presidential Suite at Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel. Curated as if it were her Roman home and in honor of her love for the hotel, the suite offers a chance for fans and guests to immerse in the world of a cinematic icon and explore her life, habits and passions. The suite’s creation was developed over many months in collaboration with Anantara and Loren’s son, Edoardo Ponti.
“Mia madre has always loved this hotel,” Ponti said. “She knows every corner but is especially fond of this suite where, on many occasions, she has gazed out over the Piazza della Repubblica with the Fountain of the Naiads and beyond towards the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. This suite feels like her Roman home, and we hope the guests who choose to stay here will feel the same.”
The suite will include a beauty station with some of Loren’s must-have cosmetics, a DVD library of her most iconic films, a playlist loaded with her favorite songs and family photos on the walls. A small library will include her biographies and a selection of books she authored along with her favorite reads. The air will be scented with her favorite perfume.
Guests will enjoy coffee served in her customary style – with two savoiardi Italian biscuits – and have the chance to taste some of her favorite dishes, prepared on request by the hotel’s expert chef from Loren’s own recipe books, including “Recipes and Memories” and “In Cucina con Amore.” Exclusive arrival and departure gifts will complete the experience.
For more information about the suite at the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel, call +39 06 489 381 or visit the hotel website.
Stefano Pilati celebrates the launch of his new Zara collaboration
As Paris Fashion Week kicked off Sept. 26, Marta Ortega Pérez, chair of the Spanish multinational clothing company Inditex, and fashion designer Stefano Pilati hosted a cocktail party to celebrate the launch of the Stefano Pilati x Zara collection.
Attendees included face of the campaign Gisele Bündchen, as well as Kate Moss, Lila Moss, Iris Law, Romeo Beckham, Ella Richards, Fabien Baron, Mario Sorrenti, Pat McGrath, Guido Palau, Luca Guadagnino, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, Katy England, Charlotte Stockdale and Michel Gaubert.
For the special collaboration with Zara, Pilati (who was head designer at Yves Saint Laurent from 2004 until 2012) has designed a comprehensive collection of ready-to-wear and accessories. The pieces for both men and women expound and expand his aesthetic signatures, for the first time presented under his own name.
The debut eponymous collection draws inspiration from Pilati’s own distinct sense of style as both an individual and a designer, combined with the universal ethos at the heart of Zara’s approach to fashion, in a championing of the power of great design – for all.
The Stefano Pilati x Zara collection debuted globally Oct. 3, alongside a campaign photographed in New York by Steven Meisel, featuring Pilati and Bündchen.
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