Credit: Photo Spirit via Shutterstock.
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Staff Writer
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March 5, 2026
After more than five years in the making, LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries finally have an opening date. April 19 is when the ribbon-cutting celebration kicks off, with two weeks of priority access and special events for members and donors. On Sunday, May 3, NexGenLA members, youth 17 and under, can enjoy a free day of activities and gallery access.
As reported by the Larchmont Chronicle, LACMA is pairing new commissions with European antiquities and works from around the globe for the first time, breaking from traditional chronological or regional displays.
A landmark addition to LACMA
The Geffen Galleries are the culmination of LACMA’s multi-decade expansion, which has added the Broad Contemporary Art Museum in 2008 and the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion in 2010.
With 110,000 square feet of gallery space, the new building, designed by architect Peter Zumthor, also includes a theater, educational spaces, restaurants, a museum shop, and covered event areas. Elevating the Geffen not only created gallery space but added 3.5 acres of parkland with public artworks, making LACMA one of the most accessible urban museums in the U.S.
Initial installations, overseen by 45 curators, feature up to 3,000 objects from LACMA’s 170,000-piece collection, including works by Georges de La Tour, Matisse, and Van Gogh. Outdoor sculptures by Jeff Koons, Alexander Calder, and Auguste Rodin grace the ground-level plaza.