Urban Light, Chris Burden
The word around Los Angeles is that the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has truly become one of the premier art museums in the world. Despite the unassuming label of “Phase I,” LACMA’s Transformation project clearly makes the museum one of LA's top cultural icons. Take a sneak peek at some of the most exciting features that LACMA's new additions have to offer.
Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM)
For architecture fans, Renzo Piano’s BCAM is modest but not lacking in distinctive highlights. For art lovers, much of Eli and Edythe Broad’s personal collection is on display for BCAM’s initial installation.
- Facade of Italian travertine tiles
- 60,000 square feet of column-free, open gallery space
- Two wings flanking a central area, creating six loft-like exhibition spaces (around 8,300 feet each)
- A large, glass-fronted elevator for views of the Hollywood hills
- Andy Warhol’s Two Marilyns (1962) and Twenty Jackies (1964)
- Jasper Johns’ Watchman (1964)
- Damien Hirst’s "Natural History" series
- Richard Serra’s enormous works, Band (2006) and Sequence (2006), take up the museum's entire first floor, along with some 30 drawings.
BP Grand Entrance
Whether you enter the LACMA campus from Wilshire Boulevard or 6th Street, you’ll wander through this pavilion. It’s called “grand entrance” for a reason.
- Chris Burden’s Urban Light displays more than 200 restored cast-iron lampposts, all from Los Angeles County and powered by solar energy, to light up the pavilion.
- Artist Robert Irwin has created a palm garden to add warmth and contrast to BCAM's stone exterior.
- Although not slated to open yet, Jeff Koon’s Train is on the radar. If approved, Koon’s working replica of a 1940s locomotive (70 feet) will dangle from a 161-foot-tall crane. The best part: it will turn its wheels and shoot out steam three times a day.
Dona S. and Dwight M. Kendall Concourse
A practical addition to LACMA, the concourse links the western and eastern sections of the campus with a covered walkway. Visitors can walk from the Japanese Pavilion all the way to LACMA West.
Revitalization of the Ahmanson Building
This historic building has gotten a makeover. Because of its proximity to BCAM and the BP Grand Entrance, the Ahmanson Building is a prime location for LACMA to show its new colors. Keep an eye out for:
- A new staircase linking the BP Grand Entrance and the east side of the LACMA campus
- A modified ceiling showcasing diffused natural light
- New galleries and exhibitions
- Major refurbishments to the central atrium
*Art/Photo Credit:
Jeff Koons
Balloon Dog (Blue), 1994-2000 and Tulips, 1995-2004
High chromium stainless steel with transparent color coating
121 x 143 x 45 in. and 80 x 185 x 205 in.
The Broad Art Foundation, Santa Monica
© Jeff Koons
Photo © Markus Tretter, courtesy Kunsthaus Bregenz
