More than six dozen couples helped raise $1.8 million for new acquistions to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art collections over the weekend.

The Annual Collectors Committee Weekend has been likenend to an "American Idol" competition with several curators taking stage to passionately promote an artwork to be added to the museum.

The committee contributed enough money to buy 5 of the 8 presented artworks.

In accord with the Year of the Tiger in the East Asian zodiac, they voted first to acquire a 17th century folding screen by Kano Sansetsu depicts a stealthy tiger drinking from a crashing river. This rare Japanese masterpiece was priced at $280,000 by a Kyoto gallery after being discoverd at an English country house four years ago.

Click to read more by Jori Finkel on the committee's selections...