Take a look inside the new David Geffen Gallery at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) just celebrated the opening of its new David Geffen Gallery. A ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 19, 2026 welcomed visitors into the space, capping a 20-year saga of development, construction, and financing to construct the breathtaking wing. Now, it’s the beginning of a new home for the institution’s permanent collection.

Renowned architect Peter Zumthor designed the building, choosing organic, sculptural volumes that include a 900-foot-long horizontal glass and concrete structure that curves along Hancock Park and across from the city’s famous Wilshire Boulevard. The main floor is approximately 30 feet above the street, providing relief from Los Angeles’ notorious traffic congestion. Exhibition spaces range from terrace galleries dotted around the perimeter, to interiors with floor-to-ceiling glass panels, and even areas fitted with bespoke curtains to protect light-sensitive artworks from the sun.

There is a truly open concept within this space, and there is no prescribed way to navigate it. This is both by design and curatorial presentation. All works in the new gallery are placed on the same level, with the aim of placing objects on equal footing and showing that no one culture, tradition or era is given priority. Instead, visitors are encouraged to find their own path based on whim and curiosity, discovering endless new ways to view LACMA’s collection of 155,000 objects spanning 6,000 years.

David Geffen Gallery is hosting its first exhibition, which reflects the collaborative work of 45 curators that fills 110,000 square feet of space. They chose to compose their artwork through water, using the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, and Mediterranean oceans to connect cultures and tell stories that span these great oceans. In turn, they connect objects across time and space. In addition to unearthing the permanent collection, there are four new commissioned works unique to the gallery, including a work by Do Ho Suh. Gyeongbokgung Palace JikyundangIt features Suh’s signature ghostly aesthetic, recreating a full-size section of the Joseon Royal Palace in Seoul.

The new gallery is in preview for LACMA members until May 3rd. For more information about visiting the museum and becoming a member, visit LACMA’s website.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) just held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new David Geffen Gallery. Visitors were welcomed into this space on April 19, 2026.

Renowned architect Peter Zumthor designed the building, choosing organic, sculptural volumes that include a 900-foot-long horizontal glass and concrete structure.

Exhibition spaces range from terrace galleries scattered around the perimeter to indoors with floor-to-ceiling glass panels.

There is a truly open concept within this space, and there is no prescribed way to navigate it. This is both by design and curatorial presentation.

All works in the new gallery are placed on the same level, with the aim of placing objects on equal footing and showing that no one culture, tradition or era is given priority.

Visitors are encouraged to find their own path based on whim and curiosity, discovering endless new ways to appreciate LACMA’s collection of 155,000 objects spanning 6,000 years.

David Geffen Gallery is hosting its first exhibition, which reflects the collaborative work of 45 curators that fills 110,000 square feet of space.

They chose to compose their artwork through water, using the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, and Mediterranean oceans to connect cultures and tell stories that span these great oceans.

LACMA: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met received permission from LACMA to publish the photo.

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