Adolfo Guzman-Lopez covers higher education for the LAist and KPCC newsroom.
This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, After about two decades of planning, six years of construction and a cost of $720 million, L.
A. County Museum of Art officials gave a preview of the new David Geffen museum galleries on Wednesday. “This museum is very experimental,” said Michael Govan, LACMA’s CEO. “It's very new, it's very fresh. It's a new way to think about our history and being more accessible at the same time that I think it's more meditative." Gone is LACMA’s 1965 iconic, boxy gallery building, replaced by an exposed concrete and glass structure distinguished by a soft, curved profile.A state board is considering the drastic move, which could come as soon as May, after an outbreak of the lung disease silicosis among countertop fabricators.A late-night labor deal averts LAUSD strike and keeps schools open. Here are the details“You can stand in the building and know where you are, not in a box… you are here in the city, you can look around the perimeter and know exactly where you are,” said Diana Magaloni, LACMA’s senior deputy director overseeing conservation, curatorial and exhibitions. LACMA's new David Geffen galleries have floor to ceiling windows and are more open than traditional museum art galleries.The feeling of knowing where you are is due largely to the acres of open space and plazas next to the building and ground level, as well as the floor to ceiling windows in the galleries’ second level that allow you to see L.A.’s mountains and urban skylines.LACMA officials say the design by renowned minimalist Swiss architect Peter Zumthor will better serve the public’s interaction with its massive art collection that spans 6,000 years and cultures from around the globe. The collection includes Southeast Asian sculptures, paintings by Diego Rivera, as well as contemporary art by Southern California artists.“One of the nice things about this building is there are many new works of art and then there are old friends,” said Stephanie Barron, head of modern art at LACMA, as she stood next to a 12-foot-tall by 18-foot-wide piece by Henri Matisse. The 2,000-pound work features multicolored leaves made of ceramic. It’s well known to LACMA’s visitors because it hung for years near the old gallery’s entrance. Now, the work faces northwest toward the Hollywood Hills and the Pacific Ocean. LACMA opens its new David Geffen galleries to members on April 19 and to the general public on May 4.Success, Govan said, will be measured by visitors’ reactions to seeing art in this new setting, as well as what the setting does to people visiting by themselves or with groups of people. “The way this building works, the way you can wander through galleries, the way the light works, the way it brings collections and thinking together, the way we’re collaborating” centers human interactions, Govan said. “It’s a launch pad, not an end point.”LACMA’s David Geffen galleries are open to members from Sunday April 19 to Sunday May 3, then to the general public after that. You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead . Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community. Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.DA investigates Swalwell
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Exports out of Port of LA rose last month, despite chaos affecting Middle East shippingAdolfo Guzman-Lopez covers higher education for the LAist and KPCC newsroom.
Read more »
Erewhon to open at LACMA's new David Geffen GalleriesErewhon, Los Angeles' trendy health food cafe and retailer, will bring its signature smoothies, matcha and coffee to Los Angeles County Museum of Art's new David Geffen Galleries.
Read more »
Nebraska Police Fatally Shoot Woman After Toddler Slashed in Walmart KidnappingPolice in Omaha, Nebraska, fatally shot Noemi Guzman after she allegedly kidnapped a 3-year-old boy from a Walmart and slashed him with a knife. The incident began with shoplifting and a standoff, culminating in the shooting after the woman ignored police commands and injured the child.
Read more »
LACMA, Erewhon partner to open new museum caféThe Los Angeles County Museum of Art and upscale grocer Erewhon were preparing on Wednesday to open a new café at the museum.
Read more »
LACMA's David Geffen Galleries set to open next monthThe new $724 million structure is part of a decades-long campus transformation and replaces four older buildings on the east campus, originally built in the 1950s and 1960s.
Read more »
New LACMA buildingThe most important stories for you to know today
Read more »