We're pleased to announce that the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's David Geffen Galleries will open on April 19 with a ribbon-cutting celebration, marking the beginning of two weeks of priority member access to the galleries as well as a series of events. From April 19 through May 3, LACMA members and donors will have the opportunity to see the inaugural installation of the museum’s collection. On Sunday, May 3, the museum will offer a free day of activities and access to the galleries for NexGenLA, a free youth membership for L.A. County residents 17 years and younger. Reservations for members will be available on LACMA’s website beginning today.
Designed by architect Peter Zumthor, the building will be LACMA’s new home for its permanent collection. Spanning Wilshire Boulevard, the elevated, 900-foot-long exhibition space will enable LACMA to present art from all cultures and eras on a single level without hierarchies or prescribed visitor pathways, redefining the museum experience by embracing new perspectives on art, history, and Los Angeles itself. On April 22, Swiss architect Peter Zumthor will be in conversation with Michael Govan on the East West Bank Commons for a dynamic public conversation, as part of The Genesis Talks.
Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director, said, “We are excited to be so close to completing the upgrade of the museum campus to increase gallery space and enhance the visitor experience. None of this would have been possible without the generosity and commitment of the County of Los Angeles, our board of trustees, donors, members, neighbors, and artists. We look forward to sharing this reimagined museum experience both with Angelenos and visitors from around the world.”
Forty-five curators working across areas of study are collaborating on the initial installation of the Geffen Galleries. The building is designed to hold approximately 2,500 to 3,000 objects from the museum’s global collection at one time, filling 110,000 square feet of gallery space. Rather than displaying artworks according to medium or period, the inaugural installation will use the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea as its organizing framework, emphasizing the cultural exchange, migration, and commerce prevalent throughout the history of art.
Visitors will enjoy seeing artworks spanning the entirety of art history, including museum favorites: Georges de La Tour’s The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame (1640); Henri Matisse’s La Gerbe (1953); Antonio de Arellano and Manuel de Arellano’s Virgin of Guadalupe (Virgen de Guadalupe) (1691); and more. Notable recent acquisitions will also be on view, including Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud (1969) and Vincent van Gogh’s Tarascon Stagecoach (1888). Adding to the presentation of art from around the world and across time are special commissions by Todd Gray, Lauren Halsey, Sarah Rosalena, Do Ho Suh, Diana Thater, and others.
To celebrate the opening of the David Geffen Galleries, gallery spaces will include art activations, events, and programs throughout the spring and summer.
The design of the David Geffen Galleries seamlessly integrates the building with Hancock Park and opens 3.5 acres of new outdoor space, which will be activated with public art installations, educational programming, and events. Artworks by Mariana Castillo Deball, Pedro Reyes, Sarah Rosalena, and Diana Thater will be revealed in the spring, followed by Shio Kusaka’s work in the summer. Jeff Koons’s Split-Rocker (2000), a monumental sculpture adorned with living plants and flowers, will also be accessible in the spring. In addition, LACMA will welcome back beloved sculptures that have become synonymous with the museum. These include Tony Smith’s monumental Smoke (1967) and Alexander Calder’s iconic Three Quintains (Hello Girls) (1964), originally commissioned by the museum when it opened on Wilshire Boulevard in 1965. LACMA’s significant collection of large-scale works by Auguste Rodin will also return to greet the museum's visitors in an 8,000-square-foot garden along the north side of Wilshire Boulevard, paired with sculptures by Los Angeles contemporary artist Liz Glynn.
Amenities on the plaza level will open in phases. Timed to the April opening, LACMA will open the LACMA Store and the LACMA Café. The W.M. Keck Education Center is set to open on Sunday, May 3, with a celebration for NexGenLA members.
The opening of the David Geffen Galleries in April 2026 will conclude a two-decade campus transformation to increase gallery space at LACMA and enhance the visitor experience. Previous phases included the opening of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) in 2008 and the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion in 2010, which together added 100,000 square feet of gallery space and, critically, enabled LACMA to continue presenting exhibitions and programming during construction of the David Geffen Galleries. With 110,000 square feet of exhibition space in the David Geffen Galleries, LACMA will have 220,000 square feet of galleries, a significant increase from its 130,000 square feet in 2007.