{"id":270200,"date":"2026-04-16T04:21:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T04:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/270200\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T04:21:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T04:21:09","slug":"want-to-check-out-lacmas-new-building-heres-how-you-can-get-tickets-for-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/270200\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to check out LACMA\u2019s new building? Here\u2019s how you can get tickets\u2014for free"},"content":{"rendered":"

After nearly two decades of planning, five years of construction and $724 million, LACMA\u2019s David Geffen Galleries<\/a> are finally ready to welcome visitors. Chances are you\u2019ve already seen pictures of the concrete, amoeba-like design by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor\u2014you may have even driven beneath it on Wilshire Boulevard. But now the 110,000-square-foot set of galleries\u2014all housed in one building on a single floor\u2014steps into the spotlight, reinventing LACMA<\/a> in the process.<\/p>\n

I got the chance to visit the David Geffen Galleries during a press preview on Thursday, and walking through the space was incredible, unlike any other museum experience in Los Angeles. But when can the public check out the new building? Here\u2019s everything you need to know.<\/p>\n

When do the David Geffen Galleries open?<\/p>\n

The David Geffen Galleries open to LACMA members on Sunday, April 19, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The members-only preview period continues through May 3. On May 4, the new building will finally be open for the general public to experience.<\/p>\n

How can I visit the David Geffen Galleries?<\/p>\n

One of the best things about the David Geffen Galleries is that they\u2019re now home to LACMA\u2019s permanent collection (versus special exhibitions). That means entry to the galleries will be included in general admission tickets, and you won\u2019t have to purchase\u00a0separate\u00a0tickets to see the space or artwork on display.<\/p>\n

Will there be free admission?<\/p>\n

Tickets to LACMA normally cost $25 for L.A. County residents and $30 for those outside L.A. But since the David Geffen Galleries are included in general admission, that means that LACMA\u2019s free weekday afternoon hours for L.A. residents will apply to the new building as well. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (the museum is closed Wednesdays), Angelenos with a valid ID can visit for free from 3pm to 6pm, and on Fridays, those hours extend from 3pm to 8pm. You can try your luck at scoring walk-up tickets, but we\u2019d recommend booking ahead of time here<\/a> (you\u2019ll need to create a LACMA account), as demand is sure to skyrocket once the galleries officially open their doors.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not a local resident\u2014and even if you are\u2014you should check out the Block Party on June 20, which will be a daylong celebration of the galleries, with free admission for all from 10am to 7pm, guided gallery tours, art activities for kids, live music and DJ sets, culminating in an art parade<\/a> along Museum Row.<\/p>\n

\"David
\nPhotograph: Michael Juliano for Time Out <\/p>\n

As always, the museum will be free to all on the second Tuesday of each month. And on the ground floor, a selection of sculptures will always be free to visit without even stepping foot inside LACMA (similar to longtime favorite Urban Light). This means you can see\u00a0works by Rodin, Jeff Koons\u2019s plant-covered Split-Rocker and Tony Smith’s massive Smoke for free any day of the week.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s on display in the David Geffen Galleries?\u00a0
\n\"David
\nPhotograph: Michael Juliano for Time Out <\/p>\n

There are some 2,500 works of art from LACMA\u2019s collection installed throughout the massive space\u2014you can literally get lost in there. The collection is made up of beloved LACMA mainstays and a number of new commissions. But beyond the breadth of the art, the galleries are making headlines for the unconventional way the artwork has been organized; rather than by historic period, the pieces are arranged by geography\u2014the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea\u2014to demonstrate the way ideas travel across time and borders.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a refreshing, non-hierarchical approach: A room devoted to Car Culture, with a vintage Studebaker and aerial shots of Los Angeles parking lots by Ed Ruscha, soon gives way to an exploration of Blue-and-White Porcelain of East Asia. There\u2019s no single main entrance, and you\u2019re encouraged to \u201cwander,\u201d which makes finding artistic treasures when you turn a corner or duck into one of the doorways all the more rewarding. Furthermore, the building\u2014with its concrete walls, curves and floor-to-ceiling windows\u2014and the views of the city itself also play\u00a0central roles in the museum experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After nearly two decades of planning, five years of construction and $724 million, LACMA\u2019s David Geffen Galleries are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270201,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[2308,16553,48,52,51,47,50,49,16554],"class_list":["post-270200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-art","tag-categories-art","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-news-art"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}