The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has unveiled the David Geffen Galleries, a $724 million concrete structure designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. Spanning Wilshire Boulevard, the building features 110,000 square feet of elevated gallery space characterized by curving walls and massive windows. The project marks the culmination of a nearly 20-year revitalization effort led by director Michael Govan, replacing several older buildings with a single, fluid architectural statement.
The opening is a significant moment for the Los Angeles cultural landscape but remains highly polarized due to its unconventional design and reduced gallery footprint. By abandoning traditional chronological and hierarchical layouts in favor of thematic, rotating displays of its 155,000-piece collection, LACMA is attempting to redefine the 21st-century museum experience. The project’s success will likely influence future debates on museum architecture and the practicalities of non-linear curation.