Peter Zumthor’s long-awaited redesign of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art takes a step forward as LACMA reveals the David Geffen Galleries, its new architectural centerpiece, before art installation begins ahead of the grand public opening in April 2026 (find designboom’s previous coverage here). Capturing the horizontal, elevated structure in glass and concrete, images by Iwan Baan offer the first interior look at the museum’s 10,220-square-meter exhibition level. LACMA is now preparing to welcome the public to select areas of the new building starting summer 2025, signaling a gradual activation of the most ambitious architectural transformation in its history. Later that year, the museum will also unveil Jeff Koons’s Split-Rocker, a towering 37-foot-tall sculpture covered in over 50,000 living plants, which will become a permanent outdoor landmark adjacent to the new David Geffen Galleries.
Before the galleries are filled with thousands of artworks from LACMA’s encyclopedic collection, the museum offers a series of ‘sonic previews’ to animate the raw architecture. Acclaimed saxophonist and composer Kamasi Washington led a more than 100-person ensemble in a performance of his work Harmony of Difference, spread across the full breadth of the empty exhibition spaces.
卒姆托設計的博物館建筑主體結構于2024年年底完工,博物館內的主要功能區已逐漸投入使用。在2025年夏季,緊鄰廣場的部分功能區也將對外開放,如餐飲區和零售區等。場地內還重新設計了Ray’s and Stark酒吧,不久后將會投入使用,LACMA商店也將同時對外開放,這離不開受托人Kelvin Davis及其妻子Hana的資助。在場地道路的對面,也設計有餐廳和咖啡廳,將于2026年開業,其項目資金來源于Ann Colgin與Joe Wender、Ryan Seacrest、Ashley Merrill及Marc Merrill的捐贈。
Floating over Wilshire Boulevard like a contemporary bridge, Zumthor’s building replaces four aging museum structures with a single, unified gallery space. In newly released photographs by Dutch photographer Iwan Baan, the architecture’s flowing form is captured in its raw state, offering a first glimpse into the expansive, unoccupied interiors before art installation begins. The David Geffen Galleries are named after the media magnate whose contribution marked the campaign’s largest gift, while the north wing honors LACMA trustee and board co-chair Elaine Wynn, whose pledge helped launch the building initiative. A new state-of-the-art performance space, the Steve Tisch Theater, anchors the southern plaza level.
Major construction of the Zumthor-designed structure was completed in late 2024, allowing key operational functions to move in. In summer 2025, the public will begin to access parts of the plaza level, including new dining and retail spaces. Ray’s and Stark Bar will reopen in a redesigned location, while a new LACMA Store, funded by trustee Kelvin Davis and his wife, Hana, will also debut. Across the boulevard, a second restaurant and a café will open in 2026, their spaces shaped by campaign gifts from Ann Colgin and Joe Wender, Ryan Seacrest, Ashley Merrill, and Marc Merrill.
▲ 首次對外開放報道博物館內10220㎡的展覽空間
a first look at the museum’s 10,220-square-meter exhibition level
Below the gallery floor, shaded public spaces on both sides of Wilshire Boulevard are designed for outdoor dining, programming, and art. A highlight is the East West Bank Commons, an outdoor plaza with capacity for 500-person events. The W.M. Keck Plaza will also become home to a new education center and a full-scale commissioned artwork by Mariana Castillo Deball titled Feathered Changes, which spans the north and south sides of the building.
The new structure reconnects LACMA with the city through architecture and landscape to offer over 14,160 square meters of accessible public space. Outdoor sculptures by artists including Liz Glynn, Thomas Houseago, Shio Kusaka, Pedro Reyes, and Diana Thater will be installed in the coming months. Longtime favorites will also return, including Tony Smith’s Smoke (1967), Alexander Calder’s Three Quintains (Hello Girls) (1964), and a newly designed 743-square-meter Rodin garden, funded by the Cantor Foundation, showcasing some of the artist’s most iconic bronze works.
As the museum ramps up toward its 2026 opening, more previews will be announced, and the installation of LACMA’s permanent collection will begin later this year.
▲ 該博物館外觀材料主要為玻璃與混凝土,建筑整體呈水平延伸,底層為玻璃幕墻或架空,使其整體像是懸浮在空中
capturing the horizontal, elevated structure in glass and concrete
▲ 目前,洛杉磯藝術博物館(LACMA)預計將向公眾開放部分區域
LACMA is now preparing to welcome the public to select areas of the new building
▲ 卒姆托設計了一個貫通的展廳空間代替了原有的4座老舊博物館建筑
Zumthor’s building replaces four aging museum structures with a single, unified gallery space
▲ 該博物館流動的線條被拍攝成照片永久定格
the architecture’s flowing form is captured in its raw state
▲ 博物館主體結構已于2024年年底完工
major construction of the Zumthor-designed structure was completed in late 2024
▲ 洛杉磯藝術博物館(LACMA)內的陳列展品安裝工作預計于今年年底啟動
the installation of LACMA’s permanent collection will begin later this year
▲ 博物館正式對外開放的日期逐漸臨近,越來越多的活動也逐步揭曉
as the museum ramps up toward its 2026 opening, more previews will be announced
▲ 彼得·卒姆托重新設計改造了洛杉磯藝術博物館(LACMA)
Peter Zumthor’s long-awaited redesign of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
▲ 設計師通過精心設計場地內的建筑與景觀,使洛杉磯藝術博物館(LACMA)與城市產生了緊密的聯系
the new structure reconnects LACMA with the city through architecture and landscape