Contemporary art museum in downtown Los Angeles. Opened September 2015. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Houses Eli and Edythe Broad’s 2,000-piece collection.
Architecture
“The Veil”: Honeycomb-like porous white exoskeleton wraps building. Filters natural light into 35,000 ft² galleries. Nickname: “the veil and the vault.”
The Vault: Two-story concrete storage facility holds artworks in climate-controlled environment. Visible through glass, demystifying museum storage. 1,800 pieces stored, 300 displayed.
Cost: $140 million, privately funded. Free general admission (revolutionary for major art museum). 800,000+ annual visitors (capacity exceeded first-year projections by 40%).
Collection Highlights
Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrors: Two infinity rooms (Longing for Eternity, Souls of Millions of Light Years Away). Social media phenomenon—90-second time limits due to demand. #InfinityKusama 5M+ posts.
Basquiat, Koons, Warhol: Extensive holdings including Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans” (1962), Koons’ “Balloon Dog (Blue)” (1994-2000), Basquiat’s “Untitled” (1982).
Kara Walker’s “Gone” (1994): Provocative silhouettes addressing slavery, race, gender. Instagram debates over appropriate photography.
Instagram Culture
Most Instagrammed museum west of NYC. Infinity rooms require timed reservations (book months ahead). Selfie culture clash: art appreciation vs. photo ops. Museum encourages photography (unlike many institutions).
Impact
Downtown LA revitalization: Anchor of Grand Avenue cultural corridor (near Disney Hall, MOCA). Restaurant boom, real estate appreciation.
Free admission model: Challenged museum economics. No ticket revenue—funded by $50M endowment. Timed reservations required for crowd control.
Awards
AIA Los Angeles Design Award. ArchDaily Building of the Year finalist. Travel + Leisure: Best New Museum 2016.