Peter Zumthor's $724m David Geffen Galleries at LACMA Open to Mixed Reviews
Peter Zumthor's new $724 million David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) have opened, receiving a four-star review from The Art Newspaper. The building, perched on seven legs, features floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the La Brea Tar Pits and Wilshire Boulevard, and incorporates gauzy metallic curtains by Japanese designer Reiko Sudō. The review praises the building's handling of natural light and horizontality, and its effectiveness for sculpture and decorative objects, while noting that oil paintings do not always fare well. The museum's inaugural presentation includes works by Liz Glynn, Manjunath Kamath, and Lauren Halsey. Criticisms include a lack of historical and biographical context for artworks, with minimal labels and panels. The building opens to the public on May 4, with member previews until May 3. Other critics: Michael Kimmelman (NYT) called it "spectacular," Michael J. Lewis (WSJ) found it "maddeningly difficult to navigate," and Edwin Heathcote (FT) deemed it "utterly astonishing" despite being "anachronistic."
Key facts
- Peter Zumthor designed the $724 million David Geffen Galleries at LACMA.
- The building features floor-to-ceiling windows with views of La Brea Tar Pits and Wilshire Boulevard.
- Japanese designer Reiko Sudō created gauzy metallic curtains for the interior.
- The review gives the building four stars out of five.
- The building performs best for sculpture and decorative objects, less well for oil paintings.
- Inaugural works include Liz Glynn's 'The Futility of Conquest' (2023) and Manjunath Kamath's 'Vikatonarva' (2024).
- Criticism includes lack of context for artworks, with minimal labels and panels.
- The building opens to the public on May 4, 2026; member previews until May 3.
Entities
Artists
- Peter Zumthor
- Michael Govan
- Chris Burden
- Henri Matisse
- Tony Smith
- Reiko Sudō
- Liz Glynn
- Manjunath Kamath
- Lauren Halsey
- Kishio Suga
- Louis Kahn
- Paul Gauguin
- Diego Rivera
- Bruce Goff
- Laverne Brackens
- Sherry Byrd
- Eli Leon
- Michael Kimmelman
- Michael J. Lewis
- Edwin Heathcote
- Renzo Piano
- Frank Gehry
- Jean Arp
- Oscar Niemeyer
- Le Corbusier
- Lina Bo Bardi
- Robert Irwin
- Frances Anderton
- Andrew Atwood
- Patrick Bernatz
- Michael Bohn
- Michael Breland
- Dana Cuff
- Meara Daly
- Joe Day
- Ed Dimendberg
- Julie Eizenberg
- David Eskenazi
- Jia Yi Gu
- Eva Hagberg
- David Heymann
- Andrew Holder
- Katie Horak
- Sean Joyner
- Alan Koch
- Mark Lamster
- Michael Maltzan
- Thom Mayne
- Shane Reiner-Roth
- Michael Ross
- Mohamed Sharif
- Dori Tunstall
- Clive Wilkinson
- Mimi Zeiger
- Nate Hume
- Christopher Hawthorne
- Flea
Institutions
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
- David Geffen Galleries
- Resnick Pavilion
- Broad Contemporary Art Museum
- Pavilion for Japanese Art
- Salk Institute
- The Art Newspaper
- The New York Times
- The Wall Street Journal
- The Financial Times
- The Architect's Newspaper
- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
- First Office
- UC Berkeley
- Bernatz Studio
- Studio One Eleven
- Breland–Harper
- cityLAB UCLA
- Daly PR
- Deegan-Day Design
- SCI-Arc
- Academy of Motion Pictures Museum
- Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
- UC Irvine
- Koning Eizenberg Architecture
- d.esk
- Spinagu
- Harvey Mudd College
- David Heymann, Architect
- University of Texas at Austin
- Los Angeles Design Group
- Pratt Institute
- Architectural Resources Group
- Lovers Unite
- Dallas Morning News
- Michael Maltzan Architecture
- Morphosis
- Sharif, Lynch: Architecture
- UCLA
- Clive Wilkinson Architects
- Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
- Getty Center
- Therme Vals
- Kolumba Museum
- OMA
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Wilshire Boulevard
- La Brea Tar Pits
- Paris
- London
- New York
- Chicago
- San Diego
- Switzerland
- Cologne
- Germany
- Vals
- Spain
- Bilbao
- Hancock Park
- Hollywood Hills
- Midtown
- Museum Mile
- Dallas
- Austin
- Irvine
- Berkeley