A First Look At LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presented a first look of its new David Geffen Galleries to the press and museum members at the end of June. As designed by Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partners with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill collaborating, the addition to the museum’s 20-acre campus culminates five years of construction to say nothing of the design process beginning with the Swiss Pritzker Prize-winning architect’s commission in 2009. Bold, audacious, controversial. That’s been the consistent talk surrounding the project. Indeed, the swooping, curvilinear wing, encompassing 347,500 total square feet with 110,00 square feet dedicated to exhibition space is just that. Most striking of all is its elevated position crossing Wilshire Boulevard, one of Los Angeles’s primary east-west corridors stretching from the sea to Downtown L.A.

Named for the entertainment mogul’s $150 million donation, the wing is supported by seven pavilions. At the ground level they house the following: the inevitable gift shop; a theater with outdoor seating; Ray’s and Stark bar; a café with outdoor seating; and the W.M. Keck Foundation Education Center comprising an art gallery, art studio, and, yes, more outdoor space for learning opportunities. Surrounding it all is the W.M. Keck Foundation Plaza, an open-air events space.

Tour Around LACMA’s Newest Addition

The horizontal wing itself, accessed by two exterior staircases or an elevator, is of concrete, steel, and glass construction. That’s it. Ergo, the city itself with panoramic views is meant to be a protagonist in the museum-going experience. Speaking of which, Zumthor deviated from the norm. Instead of a linear path, circulation through the space is created to be meandering and non-hierarchical. Distinct entry and exit points are non-existent. In recent conversation with LACMA CEO Michael Govan at Basel’s Fondation Beyeler for opening of the fair, Zumthor remarked he wanted “to break some traditional rules and find a new way to experience art. One of them being: always connect to contemporary life.”

For now, the building is all about architecture and design. Artworks are slated for April 2026 installation, and we’re marking our calendars for a return visit.

Get Ready For LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries