HOLLYWOOD -- Last week I was invited to dinner at Dennis Hopper's place.

Okay, so it wasn't exactly My Dinner With Dennis. There were about 75 other people gathered last Tuesday evening at Hopper's art studio/office in Venice, Calif., but it was still pretty cool.

The occasion was the kickoff to the 10th anniversary of the upcoming Las Vegas Film Festival, better known as CineVegas, which is chaired by Hopper -- he's also on the creative advisory board.

It's a happening festival, but the real lure of the evening was being able to sneak a peek at Hopper's famed art collection.

Over the years, the colourful actor has amassed a celebrated collection of modern-art masterpieces, and although he has insisted that his four ex-wives had pilfered a sizable chunk of it, there weren't exactly any gaping holes on the walls of the industrial two-storey digs he dubs the "Art Barn".

Instead there were originals by the likes of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Julian Schnabel, among paintings and photographs by Hopper himself, a respected artist in his own right.

Duck into a bathroom and there's more to appreciate, including a striking photograph of a Rebel Without a Cause-era Hopper shot by the late Roddy McDowall, and another in which Hopper, in full Easy Rider regalia, poses next to directing greats John Huston and John Ford.

And then there's the piece de resistance -- an original Waterworld pinball machine. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be plugged in, unlike its owner, who at 71 remains one of the hippest guy in the room.

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