(Los Angeles, CA—April 19, 2026) The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) officially opened the David Geffen Galleries today, marking this transformative moment for the museum and all of Los Angeles with a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony. Elected officials, civic and cultural leaders, and prominent artists joined LACMA’s board of trustees at L.A.’s latest architectural icon to dedicate the museum’s new building, designed by world-renowned architect Peter Zumthor.
Also participating in the ceremony were Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, co-chair of LACMA’s board of trustees Willow Bay, architect Peter Zumthor, and poet Megan Dorame and artist Mercedes Dorame, who gave a blessing.
Others in attendance included president and director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County Lori Bettison-Varga, artist Mariana Castillo Deball, former Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti, artist Todd Gray, artist Shio Kusaka, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture Kristin Sakoda, artist Tino Sehgal, artist Pedro Reyes, artist Sarah Rosalena, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, and former Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.
After the ribbon was cut, LACMA began welcoming visitors into the long-awaited David Geffen Galleries, the museum’s new home for its permanent collection. The building’s single exhibition floor, elevated above new outdoor park space and spanning Wilshire Boulevard, offers sweeping views of Los Angeles while enabling LACMA to present its collection free from hierarchies, without giving precedence to any culture, tradition, or era.
Departing from traditional narratives, the inaugural installation uses the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea as a framework to explore migration, commerce, and cultural exchange throughout the history of art.
Today also marked the launch of Erewhon at LACMA, situated in the northeast pavilion on the W.M. Keck Plaza. Erewhon at LACMA is open 11 am–5 pm daily (closed Wednesdays).
Beginning today through May 3, LACMA members will have priority access to the David Geffen Galleries and invitations to special events. On May 3, LACMA will open the W.M. Keck Education Center on the plaza level of the David Geffen Galleries, marking the occasion by offering free museum access and a full day of events and activities for NexGenLA, a free youth membership program for L.A. County residents 17 years and younger.
Also beginning May 3, the W.M. Keck Education Center Gallery on the plaza level will host a new exhibition series devoted to working with contemporary artists. For the inaugural exhibition, LACMA will present Christina Quarles’s Now We’re There (And We’ Only Just Begun) (2023).
Based in Los Angeles, Quarles is known for large-scale canvases that explore what it feels like to inhabit a body shaped by identity and lived experience. Now We’re There (And We’ Only Just Begun), recently acquired by LACMA, features luminous, shape-shifting figures that invite visitors to consider how we understand ourselves and how we are perceived by others. The presentation will be accompanied by family-friendly workshops with the artist.
Beginning on May 4, general admission tickets will include access to the David Geffen Galleries.
As part of Third Weekends at LACMA, a monthly series of programs and events, LACMA will host a block party—the first free, public event on the reimagined campus—on June 20, 10 am–7 pm.
The festivities will include free admission to the David Geffen Galleries as well as other exhibitions, along with guided gallery tours, art activities for kids, DJ sets and live music throughout the day, as well as global culinary offerings for purchase.
The Block Party will conclude with The Art Parade, a large-scale, celebratory public procession on Museum Row that will bring artists, musicians, performers, art students, and the entire creative community together.