7 new major Los Angeles arts complexes set to open before 2028 Olympics
From Lacma’s David Geffen Galleries to the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and Meow Wolf, it’s a huge few years for art in LA
Los Angeles will debut four new major arts complexes this year, with three more likely to open in advance of the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Immerse yourself in a psychedelic explosion at Meow Wolf, plan an afternoon liaison with Van Gogh at the new David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma), inhale the scent of nature inside Refik Anadol’s AI arts museum Dataland, or simply geek out over George Lucas’ jaw-dropping collection of Star Wars memorabilia.
Whatever your arts craving may be, this astoundingly rich line-up of new local museums has you covered.
Lacma’s David Geffen Galleries
The David Geffen Galleries are set to debut this April to members, before opening for general admission at the beginning of May. They will display 2,500 to 3,000 objects from Lacma’s collection.
The US$720 million space, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, is described by supporters as a “concrete sculpture” and will host 90 exhibition galleries across 110,000 sq ft (10,200 square metres). The inaugural exhibition will group artworks by the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea instead of by medium or period.
“The idea is for you to make your own path – not to speak at you, but to let you wander like you would through a park or a place,” says Michael Govan, director and chief executive of Lacma. “That change in attitude, and how the building is built, is really exciting.”
Some of the most-anticipated works to be displayed at the space on Wilshire Boulevard include Georges de La Tour’s The Magdalen With the Smoking Flame (1640), Henri Matisse’s La Gerbe (1953) and Vincent van Gogh’s Tarascon Stagecoach (1888).