At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, an acclaimed Swiss architect is hoping to pull off what an acclaimed Dutch one could not.
Next month LACMA will publicly unveil a $650-million plan by Pritzker Prize winner Peter Zumthor for a dramatic new museum building along Wilshire Boulevard.
— latimes.com
16 Comments
NOW YOU'RE TALKIN', LACMA!
major turrell exhibit starts in a few weeks and now this news?
*so excited!!!*
#zumthoristhebestcanyoubelievehesdoingabuildinginlosangelesohwowjustWOW!
LACMA has been in discussions with him for so long about doing SOMETHING on that large expanse. I'm glad he finally signed on, but I hate that it comes at the expense of the original 60's pavilions. Renzo as best a job as he could tying it to the BCAM next door, but I'd like to see something of Zumthor's built in a different viscinity of the spaces....maybe something of a void in the ground like the Michael Heizer piece
yeah .. like the michael heizer piece except not sucky
New construction has always been fundraising tail that wags the museum dog. Big names to draw bigger money. The Koolhaus scheme/scam was a tactical mistake, eliminating the film program and thereby eliminating Hollywood film dollars.
Now that AMPAS is leveraging it's Oscar prestige to be a part of LACMA, a new name to entice donor dollars is Zumthor, a name that means absolutely nothing to most. They will have to sell Zumthor and the need to remake LACMA. Again I dont think this is going to happen. Donor's pockets have been picked too many times.
This seems like an astounding amount of money to knock down two buildings and start over.
Almost a billion dollars. That could feed a small county. I bet they will have an exhibit or two about ways to feed a small country. Artist and architects will purpose some novel solutions and feel good as they sip expensive drinks without even realizing that.
Very good, jla-x. I mean very depressing, but very true.
Mies van der Rohr had a design for LACMA before Luckman. The Mies design was used for...gee, fundraising.
FRaC, what are we going to do with one another, again we agree.
beta what do we do? end strong! xoxo
They should just knock out the Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer's rediculous addition and leave Pereira buildings intact and slightly updated. Those buildings, although beautiful, underrated, have always been between the style changes to be fully appreciated and understood. HHP's 80's addition was an arrogant crime to mask them behind the heavy handed post modern mannerism. The real embarrassment was theirs.
Now, some ideas:
While at it, get rid of Renzo additions too.. Really. It is okay, all the "museomalls" are doing it without a shame anyway. They have been there almost five years.., long enough to be demolished. Money is no object. Long live the blockbuster art! Add some condos on top too assholes!! (Condos by Gehry, the homeboy, so he can show that he just doesn't do crumpled paper.) Have Zumthor design some public mud baths under the big rock in the back. Give the culture people what they want, public bathrooms, mammoth skin wallets.., open sesame..
mammoth skin wallets
Thanks alot man, I just spit coffee out my nose haha.
Though I respect Zumthor's work greatly, I do not think it is going to work as an infill in Urban Los Angeles. And really, does LACMA need that much work done to it?
He's finally hinted at what it might look like (click the image for the article):
This is just part of the battle with The Getty Center.
Quote from LACMA's published "Strategic Plan", which is worth the read for those interested in following the re-whatevering of LACMA.
GOAL 2: BUILD AUDIENCE
Background and Rationale
The visitor experience lies at the heart of the Museum's mission to connect
people and art. When successful, visitors feel welcome, comfortable, engaged,
informed, delighted, and eager to return. LACMA can enhance visitor apprecia-
tion, encourage visitors to explore more of the collection, increase attendance,
and engage new audiences. In the crowded "entertainment" landscape of Los
Angeles, the Museum competes for visitors' amongst a diverse array of choices:
from the well-financed marketing of films and popular culture, to the outdoor
activities available year-round in Southern California, to major theme parks
and beaches. Through expanded outreach to diverse audiences, from school-
children to the taste-making influencers of the entertainment industry, LACMA
seeks to increase visitorship to rival and ultimately surpass that of the Getty,
whose iconic architecture and location continue to make it the first choice
among museum-going tourists. Additionally, by exploiting the revolution in
digital technology, LACMA will dramatically increase access to its collection.
The internet, in particular, can enhance the visitor experience by extending
visits beyond the Museum walls, attract more visitors to our Museum, support
the scholarly community, and reach worldwide audiences.
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