LACMA Lights Up LA

$724 million spent on the new David Geffen Galleries and worth every penny!

I’m a museum buff, so I was really looking forward to the opening of the David Geffen Galleries at LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art). Their addition makes LACMA one of the greatest museums in the world. It is truly a treasure for LA. And it took a treasure to build them: $724 million. For a place where you’re meant to find inspiration, it was inspiring to look at.

Like a gargantuan amoeba getting ready to replicate

The design by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor looks like a gargantuan amoeba getting ready to replicate. One photo from ground level can’t capture the entire sprawling, captivating building. At 347,000 square feet, it’s so big it even extends over Wilshire Blvd.

The layout of the museum is non-linear, wavy, whereby African art and Picasso paintings might be side by side because African art inspired Picasso. Or pottery from Mesoamerica, ancient Greece, and Japan might be displayed next to each other to show the influence of one on the other. Or ancient Egyptian art with contemporary African American art. It’s a different type of layout, along with undulating galleries, and I think it works. In the description of the museum’s philosophy that’s included in the gallery map given to everyone entering, it says: “Works of art accrue meaning through exchange, transit, time, and translation. Considering art and history as a dynamic, oceanic flow can prompt deeper understandings of cultural intersections, differences, and continuities.” In short, you’re meant to wander through the museum, not mentally tick off each exhibit like a task you have to complete.

$142 Francis Bacon triptych and Performance art too

One of the many highlights at the museum is the $142 million Francis Bacon triptych, “Three Studies of Lucian Freud,” that Elaine Wynn donated to the museum. It’s spectacular and thankfully, there are benches placed in front of it where you can admire the work while resting your legs.

The Geffen Galleries didn’t just have art, they have performance art too. It’s very cool to look at paintings and suddenly see performance art. When I visited, four performers captivated the audience. One played on a violin, another rode a bicycle on its handlebars, another juggled a ball on his knees and balanced it on his head, another sang and danced.

Jeff Koons’ monumental artwork, then the BCAM (Broad Contemporary)

Another amazing piece located just off Wilshire Blvd. is Jeff Koons’ artwork called Split-Rocker. It’s 37 feet tall and has 50,000 live blooming plants. But don’t stop after you’ve seen the David Geffen Galleries, even if you are tired.

At the BCAM (Broad Contemporary), also within LACMA. is the monumental Richard Serra artwork Band, which is about 12 feet high, 70 feet long, and 2 inches thick. This colossal ribbon of steel is 183 tons. It’s so big it’s hard to fathom how it was created. One of my favorite paintings at the BCAM is Mulholland Drive by David Hockney. I grew up near there so the painting resonated with me on different levels.

Also in the BCAM is an exhibit where Mexican director Alejandro Inarrito took fragments from his film Amores Perros and projected the clips in a disjointed way on different screens in a huge space. The images were on film, not digital, and they were scratched and imperfect. It was hypnotic.

Don’t miss the Resnick Pavilion

A visit to the Resnick Pavilion, across the way from the BCAM, is equally enthralling with artwork that spans millennia, from ancient Egyptian and Greek art to contemporary art. Joseph McElheny’s Island Universe is displayed there.

Largest art museum collection in the Western United States

LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States. It has 155,000 art pieces that span 6,000 years of human history. Hard to get your head around that. A visit here is sensory overload in the best possible way. Just climb a flight of stairs to elevate your perspective on humanity.

How much time should you spend:

I spent 5 hours here and could have easily have spent more. Allow a day.

How much does it cost:

$30 for adult tickets, $26 for seniors, and $15 for children and tweens.

If you reside in LA County, it’s free after 3 pm during the weekdays.

How to get there:

The Wilshire/Fairfax Metro Station (on Line D) is right across the street from the museum. I took the Metro to the museum and I loved the convenience of it.

Where can you eat:

Erewhon at LACMA is a casual place to eat for now. More cafes and restaurants will be opening up.