Los Angeles County Museum of Art director Michael Govan is speaking publicly for the first time about the museum’s long-awaited David Geffen Galleries.
The interview, which goes live today, appears on the rebooted show true colors, vanity fairArts world newsletter written by Nate Freeman. The newsletter, now delivered to your inbox every Friday, features interviews, art market intelligence and the latest news from the art world.
In the first edition, Govan discusses the museum’s controversial new building designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, a $720 million building that will open to the public next month after years of construction, controversy and rising costs.
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In interviews, Govan described the project as an attempt to rethink the role of museums in the 21st century:
The project is one of the most high-profile museum construction projects in the United States in recent years. Critics have questioned the demolition of several of LACMA’s earlier buildings and the design of the new building, which spans Wilshire Boulevard and introduces 347,500 square feet of single-story gallery space.
For Govan, the project provided a unique opportunity to rethink how encyclopedic museums present the story of art.
The design aims to move away from traditional museum hierarchies, which separate artworks strictly geographically or chronologically, encouraging visitors to get up close and personal with objects from different cultures and eras.
The building also required extensive engineering to account for Los Angeles’ seismic conditions.
The massive concrete structure sits on foundation isolators designed to allow it to move during earthquakes, a feature intended to help protect the building and the museum’s collections.
Govan has faced criticism of the project for years, particularly regarding the demolition of existing buildings and rising construction costs. The design itself has drawn scathing comments from critics, some of whom likened the undulating structure to everything from airport terminals to amoebas.
But Govan said when a cultural institution takes on a project of this scale, a backlash is inevitable.
He also said the museum chose not to aggressively fight back against criticism as the project developed.
“No, no, let people get invest,” Govan said, recalling discussions with the museum’s public relations team about how to handle the controversy and the idea that “everyone should be on (the museum’s) side.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Govan emphasized that the building was designed specifically for Los Angeles and its cultural landscape.
“Los Angeles is the place to experiment, and I don’t think you can do that even in Chigaco or Cincinnati,” he said of the experimental design approach behind the museum.
When the David Geffen Galleries open next month, the museum will host a series of events, including galas and concerts, as well as large-scale installations showcasing works from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s (LACMA) collection, which have been closed during construction.
vanity fairThe spring issue, on newsstands March 31, will feature exclusive photos from the new museum.
