{"id":275197,"date":"2026-02-09T12:35:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T12:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/275197\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T12:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T12:35:11","slug":"peter-zumthors-lacma-david-geffen-galleries-to-open-in-april-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/275197\/","title":{"rendered":"peter zumthor’s LACMA david geffen galleries to open in april 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

lacma announces opening of peter zumthor-designed galleries<\/p>\n

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The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA<\/a>) is set to open the David Geffen Galleries on April 19th, 2026, marking the completion of a two-decade transformation of its campus. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning<\/a> architect Peter Zumthor<\/a>, the new building becomes LACMA\u2019s primary home for its permanent collection, introducing 10,220 square meters of exhibition space within a 274-meter-long structure that spans Wilshire Boulevard.<\/p>\n

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Set on elevated piers, the fluid concrete form of the David Geffen Galleries redefines the presence of the museum<\/a> in Los Angeles<\/a>. A network of floating staircases<\/a> and elevators provides access to the building from both the north and south sides of Wilshire Boulevard. The north wing of the structure, named the Elaine Wynn Wing in recognition of a $50 million donation, anchors the project, while the south wing remains open for future naming.<\/p>\n

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Rather than organizing works by medium or chronology, the inaugural installation uses the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, along with the Mediterranean Sea, as its framework. The approach foregrounds exchange, migration, and commerce across centuries, allowing works from different cultures and eras to coexist without prescribed hierarchies or routes. Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 objects from LACMA\u2019s collection will be on view at any one time.<\/p>\n

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David Geffen Galleries at LACMA; exterior view from East West Bank Commons southeast toward Wilshire Boulevard with Tony Smith\u2019s Smoke (1967) in foreground, \u00a9 Tony Smith Estate\/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York | image by Iwan Baan<\/a><\/p>\n

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an oceanic framework for the inaugural installation<\/p>\n

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Forty-five curators have collaborated on the opening installation of the LA-based museum<\/a>, bringing together works that span 6,000 years of art history. Among the highlights are Georges de La Tour\u2019s The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame (1640), Henri Matisse\u2019s La Gerbe (1953), Antonio de Arellano and Manuel de Arellano\u2019s Virgin of Guadalupe (Virgen de Guadalupe) (1691), Francis Bacon\u2019s Three Studies of Lucian Freud (1969), and Vincent van Gogh\u2019s Tarascon Stagecoach (1888).<\/p>\n

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The presentation is further expanded through new commissions by Todd Gray, Lauren Halsey, Sarah Rosalena, Do Ho Suh, and Diana Thater, among others. On April 22nd, 2026, Peter Zumthor will join LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director Michael Govan in conversation on the East West Bank Commons as part of The Genesis Talks. \u2018We are excited to be so close to completing the upgrade of the museum campus to increase gallery space and enhance the visitor experience. None of this would have been possible without the generosity and commitment of the County of Los Angeles, our board of trustees, donors, members, neighbors, and artists. We look forward to sharing this reimagined museum experience both with Angelenos and visitors from around the world,\u2019 states Michael Govan, CEO of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.<\/p>\n

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Visitors in the David Geffen Galleries with Todd Gray\u2019s Octavia\u2019s Gaze, 2025, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of the 2024 Collectors Committee, \u00a9 Todd Gray | image \u00a9 Museum Associates\/LACMA, by Jonathan Urban<\/p>\n

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reconnecting with hancock park<\/p>\n

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Beyond the galleries, the project extends into 14,164 square meters of newly accessible outdoor space integrated with Hancock Park. The plaza level will host public art installations and educational programming, with works by Mariana Castillo Deball, Pedro Reyes, Sarah Rosalena, Diana Thater, and Shio Kusaka unfolding across spring and summer. Jeff Koons\u2019s Split-Rocker (2000), composed of living plants and flowers, will be installed in the spring.<\/p>\n

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The reopening also brings back works closely associated with LACMA\u2019s identity, including Tony Smith\u2019s Smoke (1967) and Alexander Calder\u2019s Three Quintains (Hello Girls) (1964), originally commissioned for the Wilshire Boulevard site museum. A 743-square-meter\u00a0garden along the north side of Wilshire Boulevard will feature Auguste Rodin\u2019s sculptures alongside works by Los Angeles-based artist Liz Glynn.<\/p>\n

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Amenities on the plaza level will open in phases, with the LACMA Store and LACMA Caf\u00e9 debuting in April and the W.M. Keck Education Center launching on May 3rd, 2026, during the NexGenLA celebration.<\/p>\n

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visitors in the David Geffen Galleries, photo \u00a9 Museum Associates\/LACMA<\/p>\n

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concluding a twenty-year campus transformation<\/p>\n

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The April 2026 opening completes a long-term expansion strategy aimed at increasing gallery space while maintaining public access throughout construction. Earlier phases included the Broad Contemporary Art Museum in 2008 and the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion in 2010, together adding approximately 9,290 square meters of space. With the David Geffen Galleries, LACMA\u2019s total exhibition area reaches approximately 20,440 square meters, up from about 12,080 square meters in 2007.<\/p>\n

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Located at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, LACMA holds more than 150,000 objects and remains the largest art museum in the western United States. The David Geffen Galleries reposition the institution physically and conceptually, framing Los Angeles not only as a site of display but as a lens through which global art histories intersect.<\/p>\n

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set on elevated piers | image by Iwan Baan<\/a><\/p>\n

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Zumthor\u2019s building replaces four aging museum structures with a single, unified gallery space | image by Iwan Baan<\/a><\/p>\n

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the David Geffen Galleries reposition the institution physically and conceptually | image by Iwan Baan<\/a><\/p>\n

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the fluid concrete form of the David Geffen Galleries redefines the presence of the museum | image by Iwan Baan<\/a><\/p>\n

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1\/6<\/p>\n

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all gallery images via LACMA, unless stated otherwise<\/p>\n

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the fluid concrete form of the David Geffen Galleries redefines the presence of the museum in Los Angeles<\/p>\n

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the highly anticipated building is planning phased openings in summer 2025<\/p>\n

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Zumthor’s design unifies LACMA’s campus | image \u00a9 Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner\/the Boundary<\/p>\n

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floating staircases provide access to the building | image \u00a9 Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner\/the Boundary<\/p>\n

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LACMA building, including david geffen galleries | image \u00a9 Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner\/the Boundary<\/p>\n

project info:<\/p>\n

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name: LACMA<\/a> | @lacma<\/a><\/p>\n

architect: Peter Zumthor<\/p>\n

location: Los Angeles, California, US<\/p>\n