Renzo Piano’s Academy Museum in Los Angeles to Open December 2021

After years of delays, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, designed by Renzo Piano, will finally open on December 14, 2021. The museum, located near the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), is set to become the world's largest cinema museum. Its troubled history includes a budget that ballooned from an initial $250 million to an estimated $388 million, with construction only continuing thanks to private donations, notably $50 million from philanthropists Cheryl and Haim Saban. Local residents also blocked work over traffic and parking concerns. The 300,000-square-foot campus incorporates the restored May Company building (1938), damaged in the 1987 earthquake and vacant for 30 years, preserving its exterior. Piano's design adds a spherical glass dome housing a 1,000-seat cinema for premieres and awards ceremonies. The museum will feature a collection of cinematic memorabilia, including drawings, costumes, props, and interactive installations, along with temporary exhibition spaces, labs, and entertainment areas. It will also display the Academy's collection, as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Oscars, is a major funder. A terrace on the top floor offers views of Hollywood and the iconic sign, and a small theater will screen films on cinema history.