Broad Contemporary Art Museum at LACMA

The Director, the Architect and the Billionaire

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the largest encyclopedic art museum west of the Mississippi, was in architectural chaos with six different buildings, a confusing maze. Businessman and LACMA Board Member Eli Broad came to the rescue, recruiting Michael Govan as museum director, and Renzo Piano as architect. Broad also gave $56 million for a new building that was to carry his name, the Broad Contemporary Art Museum...
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The Director, the Architect and the Billionaire

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the largest encyclopedic art museum west of the Mississippi, was in architectural chaos with six different buildings, a confusing maze. Businessman and LACMA Board Member Eli Broad came to the rescue, recruiting Michael Govan as museum director, and Renzo Piano as architect. Broad also gave $56 million for a new building that was to carry his name, the Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM), and house his famous collection.
A month before the February opening, he announced that he would lend BCAM 200 art pieces per year, and that he gave an extra $10 million for an art fund, but that the Broad Art Foundation would retain ownership of his art collection rather than donating it to BCAM, as many had expected. He wants the 2000-piece collection to continue to be lent, instead of just sitting in LACMA's basement. The Los Angeles Times and New York Times reported this news as a blow to the museum, and later criticized the opening exhibit. Christopher Knight, of the LA Times, said, "BCAM's first exhibition has star power but lacks coherence and diversity. . . Of 176 works on three floors, 139 are by artists who have shown with the same gallery -- Gagosian, commonly considered today's leading commercial powerhouse. That's nearly 80%. BCAM turns out to be GCAM. Such a narrow vision feels insecure, more investment deal than adventure."
Isaac Hernandez met with the three men during the opening, and spoke privately with Govan and Piano, to clarify the controversy and hear their vision.
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