<LACMA inaugurates its new building — Art News
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LACMA inaugurates its new building

Le Lacma inaugure son nouveau bâtiment

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has inaugurated its new David Geffen Galleries building, a massive horizontal structure spanning Wilshire Boulevard. Designed by architect Peter Zumthor, the $720 million project features 32,000 square meters of exhibition space across 90 non-hierarchical galleries, a free public park level, and a radical departure from traditional museum departmental organization.

The opening marks a significant shift in museum philosophy, as LACMA has abandoned traditional curatorial categories in favor of a transnational narrative organized around the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, and Mediterranean Oceans. The inaugural installation, created by 45 curators from all departments, places diverse artworks—from Picasso to pre-Columbian pottery and Warhol to Dogon sculptures—on the same literal and metaphorical plane, emphasizing cultural exchange and migration over geographic or historical separation.