Peter Zumthor's LACMA David Geffen Galleries: A New Era for Art Exhibition
A Vision Realized: Unveiling the David Geffen Galleries
Innovative Design and Curatorial Vision for Timeless Art
On Sunday, April 19, 2026, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) officially opened its state-of-the-art David Geffen Galleries to the public. Conceived by the renowned architect Peter Zumthor, this architectural marvel introduces an elevated and expansive space specifically designed for the museum's extensive permanent collection. The innovative design champions a non-hierarchical approach to art display, presenting over 155,000 objects from 6,000 years of art history in a single-level, open-plan environment. This flexible layout is intended to facilitate diverse curatorial initiatives and allow visitors to forge their own paths of discovery. The inauguration of these galleries signifies a major milestone in LACMA's two-decade-long journey to establish itself as a comprehensive global art museum and a preeminent cultural destination in the western United States.
Architectural Grandeur and Public Engagement
The David Geffen Galleries stand as a cultural beacon, featuring a striking 900-foot-long, horizontal structure crafted from glass and concrete. This impressive building incorporates open plazas and newly designed outdoor public spaces, enhancing its integration with the surrounding urban landscape. The elevated exhibition floor, positioned 30 feet above street level, provides sweeping panoramic views of Los Angeles, including Hancock Park and the bustling Wilshire Boulevard. Inside, the galleries offer a variety of scales, configurations, and lighting conditions, creating dynamic spaces for diverse artworks. Both sheltered indoor galleries and open-air terrace galleries are seamlessly integrated. The fluid floor plan empowers visitors to explore at their own pace, fostering personal engagement with the art and offering curatorial freedom. The building's exterior is characterized by floor-to-ceiling glass panels, adorned with custom-made sputter-plated chrome textiles that offer transparency, a metallic sheen, and crucial protection for light-sensitive artworks.
Art and Public Spaces: A Harmonious Blend
Supporting the elevated exhibition floor are seven pavilions and shaded open areas, designed to host public art, educational programs, a theater, retail outlets, and dining establishments. The expansive 207,000-square-foot ground plane features a commissioned artwork by Mariana Castillo Deball, titled Feathered Changes, a collaborative piece developed with Peter Zumthor. Other notable art installations include Pedro Reyes's monumental Tlalli (2026), an 18-foot-high stone carving positioned against the museum's facade, and Jeff Koons's vibrant Split-Rocker, a 37-foot-tall living sculpture comprising over 45,000 flowering plants adapted for Southern California's climate. Alexander Calder's Three Quintains (Hello Girls) (1964), a fountain work, has been re-imagined within a new pool designed by Zumthor, further enriching the public spaces.
A Global Curatorial Approach to Diverse Collections
The inaugural exhibition within the David Geffen Galleries was a collaborative effort of 45 curators, showcasing a diverse array of works from the museum's collection across 110,000 square feet of gallery space. The installation is conceptually structured around the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea, to highlight the interconnectedness of cultures and artistic traditions throughout history. The Atlantic Ocean galleries delve into the independent evolution of artistic practices across the Atlantic rim over millennia. The Pacific Ocean galleries explore dynamic exchanges shaped by Indigenous voyages, imperial expansion, and global trade. The Indian Ocean is presented as a historic maritime exchange network, home to some of the world's oldest port cities. Finally, the Mediterranean Sea galleries illustrate the region's cultural interconnections through shared materials, techniques, and stylistic expressions. To commemorate this grand opening, LACMA also commissioned four significant new artworks.
Celebratory Opening Events and Global Connections
The opening festivities for the David Geffen Galleries spanned from April 16 to June 20, featuring a variety of events including an opening gala, exclusive previews, a full day of programs and activities on May 3 for NexGen LA (a free youth membership for L.A. County residents aged 17 and under), a Block Party complete with an Art Parade, and public space activations. This exciting period of cultural inauguration coincides with other notable openings worldwide, such as O'Donnell + Tuomey's V&A East Museum in East London on April 18, 2026; the Milan Design Week 2026, running from April 20 to 26; and the official opening of Kéré Architecture's Goethe-Institut in Senegal, further solidifying the global exchange of architectural and artistic innovation.