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LACMA's David Geffen Galleries Critiqued as Formless Maze in Wall Street Journal Review

opinion-review · 2026-04-20

The Wall Street Journal published a critical review of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's new David Geffen Galleries. Described as a free-form essay in concrete and glass, the building lacks a formal entrance and has no discernible front or back. Its undulating 900-foot-long form has drawn comparisons to a pancake or amoeba, with critics labeling it a formless maze. The structure's playful, meandering design has generated significant controversy and mixed reactions from architectural observers. The review characterizes the building as audacious yet confusing in its unconventional approach to museum architecture.

Key facts

  • The David Geffen Galleries at LACMA have been described as a formless maze
  • The building is a free-form essay in concrete and glass
  • The structure has no formal entrance and no front or back
  • The undulating form stretches 900 feet in length
  • Critics have compared the building to a pancake or amoeba
  • The Wall Street Journal published the critical review
  • The building has generated controversy and mixed reactions
  • The design is characterized as playful and unconventional

Entities

Institutions

  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art
  • The Wall Street Journal

Locations

  • Los Angeles
  • United States

Sources