Eli Broad, Billion-Dollar Patron of Los Angeles Arts, Dies at 88

Eli Broad, the billionaire philanthropist known for shaping Los Angeles's cultural landscape with his wife Edythe, has died. Their foundation has reportedly contributed nearly $1 billion to the city, excluding The Broad museum. In 2015, he co-founded The Broad, an art museum designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, showcasing a collection of 2,000 pieces from artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. The couple facilitated 8,500 loans to over 500 institutions worldwide. Broad led a $300 million fundraising effort for Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall, which opened in 2003, and in 2008, he provided a $30 million bailout to prevent the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles from merging with LACMA. His archives are held at UCLA, where he served on the Hammer Museum's board. Broad was also a Regent of the Smithsonian and a life trustee of New York's Museum of Modern Art. In 1994, he received the French Legion of Honor, and a 2015 ArtReview profile celebrated his impact on the LA art scene. Gerun Riley, president of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, praised his visionary contributions.