Philanthropists and longtime art collectors Eli and Edythe Broad’s gift to Los Angeles—The Broad—opened last weekend with more than 250 contemporary master works on view in its inaugural exhibition. Several CalArtians, including John Baldessari (Chouinard 59), Mark Bradford (Art BFA 95, MFA 97), Eric Fischl (Art BFA 72), Mike Kelley (Art MFA 78), Catherine Opie (Art MFA 88), Lari Pittman (Art BFA 74, MFA 76), Ed Ruscha (Chouinard 60) have pieces in the permanent collection.
The 120,000-square-foot, three-story museum, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, is a distinctive addition to Downtown Los Angeles’ cityscape, located next door to the Walt Disney Concert Hall and REDCAT and across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art. The honeycomb-like facade, nicknamed “the veil,” spans nearly a city block and helps provide filtered natural daylight for the art. Another one of the building’s signature designs is the “vault,” the second-floor storage facility that’s always on view, which highlights The Broad Art Foundation’s extensive lending program while also redefines the way museums store art.
The Broads have been collecting art since the 1960s and are adding approximately one work to the collection per week. To date, there are more than 2,000 pieces of contemporary art housed in the museum. The opening of the museum grew from the couple’s desire to make the art accessible to the public: The Broad is now officially open six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday with free admission for all.
The Broad is located at 221 S Grand Ave., in Downtown Los Angeles. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday.