ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Peter Zumthor's LACMA Design Criticized as Stuck in the Past

opinion-review · 2026-04-27

Carolina Miranda's review in Bloomberg critiques Peter Zumthor's newest building for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). She characterizes it as a "freeway-like" structure that feels "messy, sprawling, and too large to appreciate all at once." While she acknowledges that the design captures the essence of Los Angeles with its horizontal, road-focused style, she believes it feels outdated. Released on April 24, 2026, her assessment emphasizes that the architectural grandeur might detract from the artwork it houses.

Key facts

  • Carolina Miranda reviewed Peter Zumthor's new LACMA building for Bloomberg.
  • The review was published on April 24, 2026.
  • Miranda describes the building as 'freeway-like', 'messy', 'sprawling', and 'too big to take in from a single vantage point'.
  • She notes the building's horizontality and embrace of the road as quintessentially LA.
  • Miranda argues the design seems stuck in a vision of the past.
  • The review is titled 'The New LACMA: Architectural Drama At The Expense Of Art'.
  • The article appears on Bloomberg and was aggregated by ArtsJournal.
  • The building is by architect Peter Zumthor.

Entities

Artists

  • Peter Zumthor

Institutions

  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art
  • Bloomberg
  • ArtsJournal

Locations

  • Los Angeles

Sources