{"id":618994,"date":"2026-04-21T14:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/618994\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T14:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:38:13","slug":"early-visitors-first-impressions-of-lacmas-david-geffen-galleries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/618994\/","title":{"rendered":"Early visitors’ first impressions of LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The excitement was palpable Sunday, opening day for David Geffen Galleries, LACMA\u2019s new $724-million building that\u2019s been sparking debate<\/a> since its inception. <\/p>\n

Shortly before 11 a.m., a long line formed along the Wilshire Boulevard sidewalk. The colossal concrete building, which floats over the corridor and has been likened<\/a> by some to a freeway overpass, shielded visitors from the bright sun.<\/p>\n

About 3,000 members visited the gallery during regular hours that day. (Another 950 people visited during a Sunday evening reception, not to be confused with its celebrity-studded gala<\/a> Thursday.) The crowd included artists, educators and at least one architect who hopped on a plane to California with the singular goal of seeing the galleries.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Share via Close extra sharing options <\/p>\n

The new Erewhon cafe<\/a> in the museum, announced last week, was bustling. At around 1 p.m., a line extended out the door and into the plaza, where many people sipped on the chain\u2019s famous $21 \u201cstrawberry glaze\u201d smoothies and munched on $18 prepackaged Thai tofu salads.<\/p>\n

For years, Angelenos have been talking about the building from afar: too expensive, too gray, too small (despite being three football fields long, it\u2019s 10,000 square feet smaller than the buildings it replaced). On Sunday, The Times asked visitors to share their thoughts after actually being able to experience it. Members get a special early look until May 4, when David Geffen Galleries opens widely to the public.<\/p>\n

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

(Ariana Drehsler\/For The Times)<\/p>\n

Anna Garibay, 56, graphic design student from Koreatown<\/p>\n

What do you think of the new building? <\/p>\n

It\u2019s very beautiful. I like the minimalism. It\u2019s a great way to showcase what we have here in L.A. for people to see throughout the world.<\/p>\n

What stood out to you when you walked through the gallery? <\/p>\n

What really stood out to me today is the diversity in our world. I tried to put back things like the collector\u2019s mentality. It was well distributed. They did a great job.<\/p>\n

Overall, thumbs up or thumbs down? <\/p>\n

Thumbs up.<\/p>\n

What was your favorite piece today? <\/p>\n

The one that really moved me was an ancient Chinese calligraphy example that\u2019s from 1000 B.C. It looked like modern art already [because of] the freedom of the calligraphy.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

(Ariana Drehsler\/For The Times)<\/p>\n

Stephanie Morales, 39, sourcing manager from Mid-Wilshire<\/p>\n

What do you think of the new building? Thumbs up or down? <\/p>\n

Beautiful! I love Ancient Egypt, so I loved seeing the [Egyptian antiquities].<\/p>\n

What did you think of the color of the walls?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m used to going into museums, and a lot of it is white walls or bright, but having the darkness and the contrast made me appreciate the reliefs more and see more details in the carvings.<\/p>\n

\"Three <\/p>\n

Visitors to the David Geffen Galleries view \u201cTampan World Mountain, Ancestral Creatures, 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Ariana Drehsler \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

Do you have an opinion on Erewhon opening at LACMA?<\/p>\n

I had no idea it was coming, so it\u2019s kind of exciting.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

(Ariana Drehsler\/For The Times)<\/p>\n

S\u00e9verin Val\u00e9ry, 40, architect from Zurich<\/p>\n

What brought you to Los Angeles?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m here in L.A. for five days just for the LACMA. I\u2019m an architect. I used to work on the project [as an intern]. It was the very first conceptual model to be sent to L.A. 15 years ago.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s so amazing to see it built now. Yesterday, when I was here for the first time, it was such an emotional moment. Absolutely mesmerized by the project that the whole team did.<\/p>\n

What was it like to see it with art inside? <\/p>\n

I want to come back tomorrow, [when there] will be a little less people and it will be \u2026 easier to focus on the art. [With] those first two days, the focus was [mostly on] the building itself.<\/p>\n

\"Sculptures <\/p>\n

Art works from various cultures and time periods blend together within the David Geffen Galleries. <\/p>\n

(Ariana Drehsler \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

Do you have a favorite piece yet?<\/p>\n

There are many interesting moments. I love the tables with the water pottery. I really like the concept [of mixing] culture topics.<\/p>\n

Thumbs up or thumbs down?<\/p>\n

Thumbs up. Thousand thumbs up.<\/p>\n

What do you have to say to the people who find the design controversial? <\/p>\n

People are scared of new things. This is the point: New buildings are a new way of seeing a museum. I think it just takes a little time to recognize this beauty. I\u2019m completely sure that people will come from all across the world to see it.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

(Ariana Drehsler\/For The Times)<\/p>\n

Katherine King, 83, retired UCLA comparative literature and classics professor from Venice<\/p>\n

Thumbs up or thumbs down?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s in the middle. I love the campus. I love the shape of the building. I love walking around and seeing the sights from the building. On the outer level, [there\u2019s] lots of light and you can really see the art well, and you can read what it is. You walk from place to place, and you get very different periods, cultures. All of that\u2019s really fun.<\/p>\n

But the interior rooms I don\u2019t like so much. The Dutch masters had a lot of great art. [With] one wall, everything was too close together, and a lot of the interior rooms are still very dark. It may be my 83-year-old eyes \u2014 maybe somebody younger would not have a problem with this \u2014 but the darkness gets to me, so I kept longing to get back to the outside windows.<\/p>\n

I was here for the preview before it had art in it. At that point, it felt like a dungeon, the inner rooms. Of course it\u2019s better now.<\/p>\n

\"People <\/p>\n

Interior rooms of the David Geffen Galleries are darker than rooms near the floor-to-ceiling windows.<\/p>\n

(Ariana Drehsler \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts on the Erewhon? <\/p>\n

I have an Erewhon near me in Venice. It\u2019s always crowded [and] so overpriced that I don\u2019t know why they would have chosen Erewhon. It just shows they\u2019re catering to the super-wealthy classes.<\/p>\n

What sort of cafes belong in an art museum? <\/p>\n

An Erewhon is OK as long as you also have one that\u2019s less expensive. They used to have food trucks out there too, and they had a restaurant that was quite reasonable. Just something that\u2019s mixed.<\/p>\n

\"Two <\/p>\n

(Ariana Drehsler\/For The Times)<\/p>\n

Bria Huff, 28, model from Mar Vista and mother, Lena McGee, 56, an administrative analyst at UCLA from Inglewood<\/p>\n

Thumbs up or down?<\/p>\n

McGee: Thumbs up.<\/p>\n

Huff: Yes, absolutely.<\/p>\n

McGee: Coming in, I didn\u2019t know what to expect, but once I got there, how roomy it was, it\u2019s full of art in different categories. I was going in looking for one piece by [Todd Gray], but I found some other textiles.<\/p>\n

Was it Todd Gray\u2019s \u201cOctavia Gaze\u201d you were here for?<\/p>\n

Huff: Yeah, that one.<\/p>\n

McGee: It was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be, because it took up a whole section on the wall.<\/p>\n

Huff: It\u2019s always great to see the artwork in person, as opposed to online or on LACMA\u2019s Instagram, and the colors are so vivid. The views [from the gallery] are great. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows are a great addition. It was nice to see that artwork in the sunlight.<\/p>\n

What did you think of the concrete? <\/p>\n

Huff: It\u2019s definitely different. I had seen the David Geffen Galleries when nothing was in there, so it felt very enclosed, and once you put the artwork [in], it felt more airy and open. When you think of galleries, you don\u2019t think of cement or gray walls, but it\u2019s a nice addition.<\/p>\n

McGee: Anywhere you look out of the window is just a beautiful view. There\u2019s not a bad view, even though the other side is not completely finished.<\/p>\n

\"People <\/p>\n

A line formed to get into the David Geffen Galleries, and the Erewhon on the ground floor.<\/p>\n

(Ariana Drehsler \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

What do you two think of the decision to open an Erewhon? <\/p>\n

McGee: I miss C+M [the old cafe at LACMA].<\/p>\n

Huff: I was surprised that they would put an Erewhon there because there\u2019s one down the street by the Grove. But LACMA draws in a lot of tourists, and transplants love Erewhon and the smoothies, so why not get that while you\u2019re looking at art? It\u2019s understandable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The excitement was palpable Sunday, opening day for David Geffen Galleries, LACMA\u2019s new $724-million building that\u2019s been sparking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618995,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[9930,76,354,355,49,48,227799,356,232461,75,232460,26097,132689,63454,13527,232462,22150,63452,6286,171,68308,3275],"class_list":{"0":"post-618994","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-art","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-artsanddesign","12":"tag-ca","13":"tag-canada","14":"tag-david-geffen-galleries","15":"tag-design","16":"tag-early-visitor","17":"tag-entertainment","18":"tag-erewhon-opening","19":"tag-gallery","20":"tag-huff","21":"tag-lacma","22":"tag-lot","23":"tag-mcgee","24":"tag-museum","25":"tag-new-building","26":"tag-opening-day","27":"tag-people","28":"tag-wall","29":"tag-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}