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.
卒姆托设计的博物馆建筑主体结构于2024年年底完工,博物馆内的主要功能区已逐渐投入使用。在2025年夏季,紧邻广场的部分功能区也将对外开放,如餐饮区和零售区等。场地内还重新设计了Ray’s and Stark酒吧,不久后将会投入使用,LACMA商店也将同时对外开放,这离不开受托人Kelvin Davis及其妻子Hana的资助。在场地道路的对面,也设计有餐厅和咖啡厅,将于2026年开业,其项目资金来源于Ann Colgin与Joe Wender、Ryan Seacrest、Ashley Merrill及Marc Merrill的捐赠。
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.
▲ 首次对外开放报道博物馆内10220㎡的展览空间
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.
▲ 该博物馆外观材料主要为玻璃与混凝土,建筑整体呈水平延伸,底层为玻璃幕墙或架空,使其整体像是悬浮在空中
capturing the horizontal, elevated structure in glass and concrete
▲ 目前,洛杉矶艺术博物馆(LACMA)预计将向公众开放部分区域
LACMA is now preparing to welcome the public to select areas of the new building
▲ 卒姆托设计了一个贯通的展厅空间代替了原有的4座老旧博物馆建筑
Zumthor’s building replaces four aging museum structures with a single, unified gallery space
▲ 该博物馆流动的线条被拍摄成照片永久定格
the architecture’s flowing form is captured in its raw state
▲ 博物馆主体结构已于2024年年底完工
major construction of the Zumthor-designed structure was completed in late 2024
▲ 洛杉矶艺术博物馆(LACMA)内的陈列展品安装工作预计于今年年底启动
the installation of LACMA’s permanent collection will begin later this year
▲ 博物馆正式对外开放的日期逐渐临近,越来越多的活动也逐步揭晓
as the museum ramps up toward its 2026 opening, more previews will be announced
▲ 彼得·卒姆托重新设计改造了洛杉矶艺术博物馆(LACMA)
Peter Zumthor’s long-awaited redesign of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
▲ 设计师通过精心设计场地内的建筑与景观,使洛杉矶艺术博物馆(LACMA)与城市产生了紧密的联系
the new structure reconnects LACMA with the city through architecture and landscape