Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) north façade
BCAM southeast facade, BCAM Born scrim, John Baldessari © 2008 Museum Associates © 2008 Museum Associates/LACMA
Barbara Pflaumer has to shout over the sounds of fork lifts and drills at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). As the Associate Vice President of Press Relations, she’s gotten used to it. These days, there are plenty of things to shout about, especially with the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM), which opened in February 2008.
“The intent is that there’s going to be a three-phase Transformation of this entire campus,” she says, pointing at the distinctive red staircase of LACMA’s new building. “We’re starting with Phase I, which is the building of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum.”
If folks around LACMA sound excited, it’s because BCAM is the first museum to be built in Los Angeles since the Getty Center. A few years ago, LACMA’s campus was a disjointed group of buildings, a collection of various styles that didn’t come together aesthetically. “In 1988 we had five buildings, three architects, three styles,” Pflaumer notes, “none of which worked together.”
That all changes with LACMA's Transformation, and anchoring this development is BCAM itself.
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BCAM east facade; installation of Urban Light, Chris Burden; Palm Garden, Robert Irwin; © 2008 Museum Associates/LACMA |
The Architect
In today’s architectural circles, Renzo Piano is a household name. It’s enough to draw feverish curiosity, and more importantly, excitement. “He’s one of the premier architects working today,” says Pflaumer. “People are jazzed to have him.”
The Pritzker Prize-winning architect, perhaps best known for his break-through Centre Pompidou in Paris, had a clear mission: to unify the LACMA campus.
With BCAM, he’s done that by focusing on continuity, taking design elements of the existing architecture and updating them for the new museum. The Italian travertine exterior, for example, complements the existing stone at LACMA.
| The Pritzker Prize-winning architect, most famously known for the Pompidou in Paris, had a clear mission for BCAM: to unify the LACMA campus.
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“Renzo is such a perfectionist,” Pflaumer says. “Every one of those stone panels was photographed and laid out so there was no unintended pattern.”
What is intentional, however, is Piano’s obvious preference for places where indoor and outdoor spaces meet. He’s particularly interested in public, open areas with natural light — a perfect explanation for the remarkable 60,000 square feet of un-columned exhibition space, as well as a third-floor glass ceiling to accentuate the indoor-outdoor experience.
At the same time, Piano hopes to highlight a sense of community by showcasing two enormous canvases (52’ x 54') on the south side of the building, a firm statement that LACMA’s BCAM belongs also to the people of Los Angeles. Rotating artists like John Baldessari showcase their work to some 80,000 cars passing by on Wilshire Boulevard every day.
“We want people to know what’s going on here,” says Pflaumer. “Even if they don’t what this building is, they’re going to figure it out.”
The Philanthropist
None of this would be possible without the philanthropy of Eli and Edythe Broad: $50 million toward the BCAM building; $10 million toward acquisitions; 200 works of art on loan for the initial installation. All of this catalyzed the effort to build a major contemporary art museum at LACMA.
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Jeff Koons, Cracked Egg (Red), 1994-2006; High chromium stainless steel with transparent color coating; The Broad Art Foundation, Santa Monica © Jeff Koons |
With Broad’s example, others have jumped in to help LACMA exceed its original goal of $150 million. Lynda and Stewart Resnick gave $25 million, the BP Foundation contributed another $25 million, and the County of Los Angeles gave $15 million. Other notable donations include the Riordans ($5 million) and The Ahmanson Foundation ($1.6 million).
Pflaumer notes, “He’s setting an example that hopefully will be a template for other people to follow.”
Broad, like other Angelenos, wants to continue to make Los Angeles a true cultural destination — and that starts with great architecture. The new museum is undoubtedly a destination for art lovers, on par with The Museum of Modern Art in New York or the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. BCAM, like the Walt Disney Concert Hall, provides cultural currency for Los Angeles, enabling the city to declare itself as a true world center for art.
