The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to open its long-awaited and highly debated new building, the David Geffen Galleries. Designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, the $720 million concrete structure spans Wilshire Boulevard and replaces several older buildings with a single, elevated exhibition level. The opening marks the culmination of a decade-long project spearheaded by Director Michael Govan, featuring a non-linear layout that integrates the museum's encyclopedic collection into thematic displays rather than traditional chronological or regional divisions.
This project represents a radical shift in museology, moving away from 19th-century categorization toward a model reflecting contemporary global interconnectedness. However, the building remains a lightning rod for criticism due to its ballooning budget, the loss of total exhibition square footage compared to the previous campus, and the controversial inclusion of a high-end Erewhon cafe. The success of this "open plan" approach will test whether major institutions can successfully rebrand the encyclopedic museum experience for a modern audience.