“The end of boring art, the pelicans in the desert… Carrots. And parrots. Green peas… The art historian Clement Greenberg. All the drugs driving from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. God. God's nose."

What do all the things in this odd-sounding inventory have in common? Artist John Baldessari, of course. This list is a distillation of MOCA director Philippe Vergne's enthusiastic tribute speech at Saturday night's edition of the museum's annual fundraising gala, this time with Baldessari as its guest of honor.