Back from LA: The Broad Museum

 Eddie and I went to Los Angeles this weekend to see friends and just relax a bit. It was fantastic and we had a great time. One of the other things we did (in addition to friends) was to visit places Ed hadn't been before.

First up was the new Broad Art Museum. It is downtown and the gift of Eli Broad, the developer who was a huge donator in Los Angeles. In fact, he gave the largest donation to the new LA Cathedral, pretty generous for a Jewish man to do for the Catholic archdiocese. 

Anyway, he had (he died in 2015) a massive collection of artwork. For years he would loan parts out (the museum still does) but he also wanted to share it in his older age. So he built the Eli Broad Art Museum. Admission is free - although timed because of Covid.

The Broad (near) sits next to the Disney Concert Hall downtown.

It is an interesting place, architecturally. A cut out curtain wall pulls interest. The same cut out still on the roof as well, seen through many many skylights.

Inside, the regimented facade quickly transitions to an organic flare, as the escalator to the top floor passes through a shrinking aperture. It is very Frank Lloyd Wright, in that the architect collapses the space, before opening it up to make the result seem even larger. They needn't had. The top floor is an expanse of over an acre, with the roof floating about the place.

The escalator shaft.

Multiple distinct "rooms" are created in the space and it is a great place to wander through.

With this large piece you can see from the central atrium towards the Koons room

African American art using stencils.

Jeff Koons room with the ubiquitous dog.

This is fascinating. You walk down steps to the first floor. The second floor (pictured through a window) is where most of the non displayed art is stored.

A fascinating piece where all the German chancellors are painted looking at a different piece of modern art. Painted as if through a window. 

For the piece above, the artist has the German Chancellors (from reunification to Merkel) looking at Modern Art. The artist used this modern piece to illustrate the changes in Germany since reunification. In pre-unification East Germany -as well of the rest of Eastern Europe) looked at Modernism as decadent and threatening.