The Broad
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| The Broad | |
|---|---|
 Dllu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source | |
| Name | The Broad |
| Caption | Exterior view of the museum in 2015 |
| Established | 2015 |
| Location | Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Type | Contemporary art museum |
| Founder | Eli Broad |
| Director | Joanne Heyler |
| Collection size | ~2,000 works |
The Broad is a contemporary art museum in Downtown Los Angeles founded to house the private collection of philanthropist Eli Broad. It opened in 2015 and offers free general admission, presenting postwar and contemporary works alongside rotating displays drawn from an encyclopedic holding of pop art, minimalism, abstract expressionism, and conceptual art. The institution engages with major artists, collectors, curators, and cultural organizations across Los Angeles County, the United States, and the international museum network.
History
The provenance of the institution traces to the collecting career of Eli Broad and his wife Edythe Broad, who amassed works by key artists including Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, and Roy Lichtenstein. Plans for a dedicated building involved partnerships with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art neighborhood, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Grand Avenue Project in Downtown Los Angeles. The museum’s launch involved negotiations with city officials, developers such as Avenue of the Arts Development, and philanthropic peers like MoMA-associated collectors and institutions. Opening exhibitions juxtaposed works by Mark Bradford, Takashi Murakami, Ed Ruscha, and Yayoi Kusama, establishing ties with curatorial figures from Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum, and Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
Architecture and design
The museum’s building was designed by architect Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, integrating a distinctive "veil-and-vault" concept that separates the porous exterior from the secured collection storage. The exterior envelope employs a honeycomb-like concrete and steel lattice referencing projects by Le Corbusier and contemporary façades such as those by SANAA and Herzog & de Meuron. Interior planning prioritized flexible gallery spaces accommodating large-scale installations by artists including Anish Kapoor, Damien Hirst, and Richard Serra as well as climate- and light-sensitive works by Robert Rauschenberg and Ellsworth Kelly. Site decisions responded to proximity with Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry, pedestrian flows on Grand Avenue, and municipal zoning overseen by the City of Los Angeles.
Collections
The permanent holdings emphasize postwar and contemporary art across painting, sculpture, photography, and installation. Key artists represented include Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Gerhard Richter, Cy Twombly, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, and Takashi Murakami. The collection also includes significant bodies by Urs Fischer, Barbara Kruger, Kara Walker, Brice Marden, Sol LeWitt, Alex Katz, Ed Ruscha, Mark Bradford, Cindy Sherman, Yayoi Kusama, David Hockney, and Kiki Smith. Photography and works on paper feature artists such as Diane Arbus, Andreas Gursky, and Walker Evans. The museum maintains storage and conservation facilities informed by standards from International Council of Museums and practices aligned with large-scale lenders including Tate Modern and the National Gallery of Art.
Exhibitions and programs
Temporary exhibitions have featured monographic and thematic presentations, collaborating with curators from Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, Guggenheim Bilbao, and Hammer Museum. Notable shows have showcased retrospectives and new commissions by Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha, Takashi Murakami, Mark Bradford, and Kara Walker, often accompanied by catalogues and symposia involving scholars from UCLA, USC, and Columbia University. The institution has hosted performance programs with artists linked to Fluxus, experimental music practitioners like John Cage legacies, and dance collaborations with companies such as Alonzo King LINES Ballet. The museum also partners on citywide initiatives such as LA Art Show adjuncts and biennial exchanges with institutions including MOCA and Getty Museum.
Education and outreach
Educational efforts include school tours, docent-led programs, family workshops, and fellowships developed with academic partners like UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture and USC Roski School of Art and Design. Public programming has integrated artist talks, panel discussions, and community days featuring practitioners, critics, and writers drawn from publications such as Artforum, The New Yorker, and Frieze. The museum’s youth initiatives collaborate with nonprofits such as Inner-City Arts, LA Promise Fund, and The California Community Foundation to expand access and professional development for emerging curators and conservators.
Funding and governance
Ongoing operations are financed through endowment support, major gifts, ticketing revenue from special exhibitions, and partnerships with corporate sponsors including firms in the Silicon Valley and Los Angeles creative industries. Governance is overseen by a board of trustees comprising collectors, philanthropists, legal and financial professionals, and cultural leaders who liaise with directors and curators experienced in institutions such as Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Tate Modern. Conservation, acquisitions, and deaccession decisions follow policies modeled on standards from American Alliance of Museums and peer museums to balance donor intent, public interest, and curatorial priorities.