Lacma has announced the opening of its new building, the David Geffen Galleries, after four years of work which should be completed at the end of 2024. Tours of the empty building are planned for next spring.
Launched in 2019, the new building replaces the museum’s historic buildings, built between the 1960s and 1990s. The scaffolding, being removed on Wilshire Boulevard, reveals the curvilinear beige structure designed by Peter Zumthor, an award-winning Swiss architect. Pritzker in 2009. With a length of 275 meters, this organic architecture crosses the boulevard, extending over 32,000 m².
The raw concrete structure, covered by large glass panels, offers interior spaces for works sensitive to light and so-called exterior rooms bathed in natural light. On the ground floor there is a 300-seat auditorium, an educational center, cafes and a shop. The museum will have two main accesses, on both sides of the boulevard, as well as a 3.5 hectare outdoor park with contemporary art installations.
The David Geffen Galleries will offer a presentation mixing works from various cultures and periods. The rooms will exhibit textiles, costumes, photographs, engravings and decorative art objects, in addition to paintings and sculptures. A section of the permanent collections will be reserved for European works from the Ahmanson Foundation. The new building will house only part of the permanent collections. Peter Zumthor’s plan reduces the exhibition area by 4,000 m².
The very high cost of the new spaces, more than 80% financed by donations, amounts to 793 million dollars (733 million €). Los Angeles County, which will own the museum, contributed $125 million, while David Geffen offered $150 million. Elaine Wynn, co-president of the museum, gave $50 million, and A. Jerrold Perenchio, $25 million.
The opening of the David Geffen Galleries concludes a vast renovation project. Lacma had already inaugurated the Broad Contemporary Art Museum in 2008 and the Lynda and Stewart Resnick exhibition pavilion in 2010, both by Renzo Piano, adding 9,300 m² of exhibition space.
