What to Know
- The Broad, founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, opened in 2015
- The museum, which offers complimentary admission, is filled with well-known contemporary art pieces such as "Tulips" by Jeff Koons
- An expansion, announced on March 27, is ahead for the Grand Avenue art institution; the new building will continue the "veil and vault" design of the original structure; opening day will arrive ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics
Oversized dining room tables, shiny balloon dogs, and a whimsical universe awash in tiny twinkles: The Broad has served as a scintillating space for contemporary art lovers to expand their minds, ideas, and dreams for nearly a decade.
Now the DTLA museum, which was founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, will experience a different sort of expansion of its own: A new sizable structure, to be built along one side of the original building, will give the institution an additional 55,000 square feet, meaning an extra 70% of gallery space.
The museum's famous honeycomb "veil + vault" design will flow into the whimsical-yet-weighty addition, which, like the original building, will have the lauded design firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro at the helm.
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The veil element is well-known to those who've spied the museum's striking Grand Avenue presence, but the vault has played a role since the beginning, too: That's been part of the heart of the building.
Now the vault will be on the outside, "as if this core had been exposed and 'unveiled'" in dramatic fashion, "symbolically expressing The Broad's commitment to access while playfully inverting the visual vocabulary of the current building."
That building's visual vocabulary has found imaginative accord among the artists featured inside, including Robert Thierren, Jeff Koons, and Yayoi Kusama — the artists behind "Under the Table," "Balloon Dog," and "Infinity Mirrored Room — The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away," respectively, with many more greats to be found throughout the galleries.
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"In the brief period since 2015, our building has become an icon in Los Angeles's cultural and civic landscape," said Joanne Heyler, Founding Director and President of The Broad.
"With this expansion, we intend to amplify The Broad's commitment to access for all to contemporary art, offering surprising, welcoming, and imaginative experiences that honor the diversity of our public and add to the ever-growing vitality of Grand Avenue, the area that Eli Broad believed in so strongly and that he helped transform into what it is today."
As for the timeline for this thrilling new addition to the Southern California art scene, and, quite truly, the art world well beyond our region?
Ground will be broken before The Broad celebrates its 10th anniversary — so, sometime in 2025 — and the opening will take place ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
One more element sure to delight Broad buffs? Admission will still be free.
Pictured at top: With the new 55,000 sq. ft. expansion, The Broad will extend from Grand Ave. to Hope St. Courtesy of The Broad. © Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R). Rendering by Plomp.
