LACMA's $720 Million New Building Opens After 20 Years in the Making
If you have been waiting for a reason to visit Los Angeles this year, this might be it. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art just opened the doors to its brand new David Geffen Galleries, and the scale of what they have built is staggering.
Two Decades of Vision
Swiss architect Peter Zumthor started working on this building back in the mid 2000s. Twenty years later, what emerged is a sweeping, undulating concrete structure that actually curves over Wilshire Boulevard, one of the busiest streets in LA. The building adds 110,000 square feet of gallery space and 3.5 acres of public parkland to the museum campus. The total price tag hit $720 million, funded by a capital campaign that included a $150 million pledge from David Geffen himself, along with major contributions from collectors Elaine Wynn and Steve Tisch.
A Completely New Way to See the Collection
What makes this opening so interesting is not just the architecture. LACMA director Michael Govan and his team have completely rethought how the museum's 150,000+ objects are presented. Instead of organizing art by time period or geography the way most museums do, the galleries are arranged around oceans and seas. The idea is that water has always been the medium through which objects, ideas, and people have moved across cultures for centuries. Govan described it this way: "Everything will be so visible on one floor. Things we've had...jump out at you."
That means you might see a 3,000 year old Egyptian artifact next to a 19th century Japanese woodblock print, connected by the trade routes that linked both cultures. For anyone who loves art history, that kind of cross cultural experience is rare.
More Than Just Galleries
The building also includes the W.M. Keck Education Center, a "sound garden" featuring poetry from Southern California writers, and a 37 foot Jeff Koons sculpture called "Split-Rocker" planted right outside. Artist Mariana Castillo Deball designed the poured concrete plaza, called "Feathered Changes." LACMA also launched NexGenLA, a new free membership program aimed at getting young people through the doors and making the museum feel accessible to a new generation.
Why This Matters for the Art World Right Now
Los Angeles has been through a brutal stretch. The recent fires devastated parts of the city, and cultural spaces have become even more important as places where communities can come together. LACMA's leadership has been clear that this building is meant to be exactly that kind of gathering space. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics on the horizon, LA is positioning itself as a serious global cultural destination, and a $720 million museum building makes that case louder than any press release could.
Member previews run from April 19 through May 3, with the public opening on May 4. If you are anywhere near Southern California, this one deserves a trip.