The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has announced that its new building, the David Geffen Galleries, will open to members on April 19 and to the public on May 4. Designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, the 900-foot-long structure spans Wilshire Boulevard and offers 110,000 square feet of exhibition space, displaying 2,500 to 3,000 objects from the permanent collection on a single level. The museum also revealed that Willow Bay has been elected co-chair of its board of trustees, succeeding the late Elaine Wynn.
The opening marks the culmination of a decade-long, $720 million project that faced redesigns and controversy over its airport-terminal-like appearance. The new building’s non-hierarchical layout, which mixes works from 15 curatorial departments, aims to challenge traditional Western museum conventions. The announcement also underscores LACMA’s successful $750 million fundraising campaign, with significant contributions from David Geffen, Elaine Wynn, the W.M. Keck Foundation, and Los Angeles County, positioning the institution for a new era of visitor engagement.