Broad Contemporary Art Museum

Broad Contemporary Art Museum
Gunnar Klack · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Broad Contemporary Art Museum
Established	2015
Location	Los Angeles, California, United States
Type	Contemporary art museum
Architect	Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Owner	The Broad Foundation

Broad Contemporary Art Museum is a contemporary art museum in Los Angeles, California, known for its collection of postwar and contemporary art and its role in the city's cultural landscape. The museum opened in 2015 and is associated with major donors, contemporary art institutions, and a building by a high-profile architectural firm. It has hosted exhibitions, educational programs, and collaborations with museums, foundations, galleries, and artists from across the United States and internationally.

History

The museum was conceived in the context of philanthropists and collectors in Los Angeles including Eli Broad, the Broad Foundation, and associated entities such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Its development intersected with civic actors including the City of Los Angeles, the Walt Disney Concert Hall project, and the Grand Avenue redevelopment initiative. Fundraising and planning involved law firms, financial institutions, and cultural consultants who worked with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro and partners from the AIA and American Alliance of Museums. The opening followed major exhibitions by contemporary curators who had worked at institutions like the Whitney Museum of American Art, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Early programming included loans from private collectors, collaborations with galleries such as Gagosian Gallery, David Zwirner Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, and Marian Goodman Gallery, and partnerships with foundations such as the Ford Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Architecture and Design

The building was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler and engineering firms known for projects like the High Line and the Broad’s neighbors near Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Its design references precedents including the Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. The facade and spatial organization demonstrate influences from architects and firms such as Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano, Richard Meier, and I. M. Pei. Structural and environmental systems reflect standards cited by the U.S. Green Building Council and the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety; consultants included Arup, Thornton Tomasetti, and Buro Happold. The site planning connected to Grand Park and civic axis projects associated with the Los Angeles Music Center, Disney Concert Hall by Gehry, and the Broad Stage. Interior materials and gallery proportions drew comparisons with galleries at the Whitney, Tate Modern, and the Brooklyn Museum.

Collections and Exhibitions

The museum's collection emphasizes postwar and contemporary art with works by artists and movements represented by names such as Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Cy Twombly, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, Louise Bourgeois, Kara Walker, Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, Alexander Calder, Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer, Tracey Emin, Marina Abramović, James Turrell, Bruce Nauman, Richard Serra, Sol LeWitt, David Hockney, John Baldessari, and Paul McCarthy. Exhibitions have included thematic surveys, retrospectives, and installations drawn from collaborations with institutions such as the Hammer Museum, the Getty Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Institute of Contemporary Art London, and the Andy Warhol Museum. The institution staged shows curated in conversation with biennials and triennials like the Venice Biennale, Whitney Biennial, São Paulo Art Biennial, and Documenta. Special projects have showcased performance artists associated with the Judson Dance Theater, Fluxus, and the Gutai group, and have featured commissioning programs akin to those at the Public Art Fund and Creative Time.

Programs and Education

Educational initiatives have connected the museum with Los Angeles Unified School District, California State University, University of California Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Otis College of Art and Design, and community organizations such as the LA Phil community programs and the Los Angeles Public Library. Public programs included lectures by curators from institutions like MoMA, Tate, Centre Pompidou, and the Getty Research Institute; artist talks with figures linked to the New York School, the Pictures Generation, and the Young British Artists; and workshops coordinated with nonprofit arts education groups such as Art into Schools, Art21, and Teaching for Change. Outreach and residency programs have been organized with artist-run spaces, cultural trusts, and partnership networks including the Association of Art Museum Directors and Americans for the Arts.

Administration and Funding

Administration and governance involve boards and trustees composed of patrons, collectors, and executives from corporations, law firms, and philanthropic organizations. Financial support has come from private philanthropy associated with Eli Broad and the Broad Foundation, corporate sponsors in the finance and technology sectors, public grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and endowment funds managed by professional investment advisors. The museum's operating model echoes funding structures seen at institutions like the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum, and interacts with municipal cultural policy administered by the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County cultural agencies.

Reception and Criticism

Reception has ranged from praise in publications such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Artforum, Art in America, and ARTnews to critique from scholars and critics associated with journals like October and Papers of Surrealism. Critics have debated the museum's role in cultural tourism, urban development, and the art market dominated by galleries including Pace Gallery, White Cube, and Dominique Lévy Gallery. Commentators with backgrounds at institutions like the Getty, the National Gallery, and the Smithsonian have analyzed acquisitions, curatorial practices, and donor influence in relation to debates over museum ethics, deaccessioning, and diversity initiatives promoted by organizations such as the Association of Art Museum Directors and the American Alliance of Museums.

Category:Museums in Los Angeles