The Broad Museum
When my client said he wanted over-sized chairs for his dining table, I didn’t think he had this in mind. So, for today’s Tourist in your own city, I thought I would share with you L.A.’s latest hype, The Broad.
The often sold-out museum has guest visiting who’ve reserved tickets at least three months in advance!
The Broad is a new contemporary art museum which opened in September of 2015 and was founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad and located on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. According to the museum’s website, it is “home to the 2,000 works of art in the Broad collection, which is among the most prominent holdings of postwar and contemporary art worldwide.”
The collection of contemporary art at the museum is from the 1950s to present day from the works by more than 200 artists. The museum was created in hopes of “advancing education and engagement through exhibitions and diverse public programming, the museum enriches, provokes, inspires, and fosters appreciation of art of our time.” In result, admission to the museum is free for all!
As an individual who is not very artsy and does not know much about artist and their history, I found myself enlightened to see different kinds of art brought to life in the museum. The art pieces range from paintings to photos to sculptures.
I admire the fact that the museum is large enough where you feel free to roam around. Staff is very friendly and kindly offer to take photos of you next to the art pieces. My favorite piece was by Robert Therrien and was called Under The Table, 1994- which is the large table and chairs. It felt very Alice in the Wonderland.
I also was in awe of the building itself. The Broad was designed to symbolize “the veil and the vault.” When visiting the museum, one will tunnel through the vault- which is a 105-foot escalator taking one straight to the third-floor. In addition, one can take the cylindrical glass elevator that was specifically designed to take one of the art pieces directly to the third floor during creation of the museum.
There are central stairs that wind through the vault, which provides visitors glimpse into the collection storage. The vault was created with 36 million pounds of concreate alone!
Eli and Edye Broad have been creating their collection of postwar and contemporary art for the last five decades. The building of the museum was designed by world-renowned architectural firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, created a “veil-and-vault” concept.
The collection at The Broad continues to grow as one piece of work is added weekly.
Visitors of The Broad are welcome to take photos for personal use, however, are asked to refrain from using flash, tripods or selfie sticks. During your visit, you can download The Broad’s free app to follow a self-guided audio tour.
Visitors may visit The Shop at the museum located in the lobby which features limited-edition prints, books, memorabilia, and gifts. No food or drinks are allowed inside the museum, however, visitors may enter/exit at any time.
General admission to The Broad is free. However, advance online reservations are highly recommended and available online.
Hours of The Broad:
Monday | Closed
Tuesday and Wednesday | 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday and Friday | 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday | 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday | 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Information in creation of this blog was supported by the brochure of The Broad museum which can be picked up during your visit.
