Los Angeles\u2019 art world may be celebrating the long-awaited expansion of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art \u2014 but online, critics are fixated on something far less highbrow: smoothies.<\/p>\n
Today, LACMA revealed it will partner with ultra-luxe grocery chain Erewhon to open a cafe inside its new David Geffen Galleries expansion, and not everyone is sipping the Kool-Aid.<\/p>\n
The smoothie bar will be located on the ground level of the new galleries, offering Erewhon\u2019s signature organic blends, celeb collabs and famously sky-high price points to museum-goers.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles\u2019 art world may be celebrating the long-awaited expansion of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art \u2014 but online, critics are fixated on something far less highbrow: smoothies. BACKGRID<\/p>\n
Erewhon at LACMA will be open to all on May 4. Instagram\/lacma<\/p>\n
Instead of applause, the announcement has triggered a wave of backlash across social media, where critics argue the partnership clashes with the museum\u2019s public mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should just make one out of tar from the tar pits,\u201d one commenter, John Arthur Hill, joked\u2014a nod to LACMA\u2019s famous neighbor, the La Brea Tar Pits.<\/p>\n
Others were less amused. \u201c\u2026overpriced mediocre food for a museum that abandoned the concept that it belongs to the residents of Los Angeles,\u201d another wrote on Instagram. \u201cSeems appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMuseum\u2019s are supposed to be accessible, Erewhon is the antithesis of accessible,\u201d added a disgruntled user.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis is not the place for an Erewhon! I hope this isn\u2019t true!\u201d one person commented, while another fumed: \u201cWhat a horrible decision. Get EREWHON out of this public space immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
The criticism taps into a broader tension in Los Angeles: the growing overlap between elite wellness culture and public institutions.<\/p>\n
Fans drink the Wake Up in Weho Smoothie at the grand opening of a new Erewhon store in West Hollywood, California on February 25, 2026. Jonathan Alcorn For CA Post<\/p>\n
The Erewhon outpost will be housed in the northeast pavilion on the W.M. Keck Plaza, so you can sip on a skin glaze smoothie will admiring Alexander Calder\u2019s \u201cHello Girls\u201d fountain. <\/p>\n
\u201cTypically these \u201coutposts\u201d at tourist attractions tack on even higher prices so no thanks,\u201d one person quipped. \u201cWhat a stupid idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
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California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> Erewhon has long transcended its grocery store roots, becoming a cultural lighting rod in recent years, known as much for its $20-some smoothies as for its organic offerings. <\/p>\n LACMA\u2019s new David Geffen Galleries\u2014a sweeping redesign of the museum\u2019s campus\u2014has already drawn intense attention for its architecture and ambitious vision. But the Erewhon partnership is now adding a new layer to the conversation: who the museum is really for.<\/p>\n Erewhon at LACMA Instagram\/lacma<\/p>\n The collaboration is a savvy move. By bringing in a brand that is effectively a tourist attraction in its own right, LACMA ensures foot traffic even from those who couldn\u2019t tell a Monet from a Manet.<\/p>\n \u201cAre the selfies one takes with one\u2019s Erewhon smoothies Art,\u201d another commented. \u201cThere should be a Polaroid wall.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t
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