It’s a fact of life for architects and their clients: major projects rarely progress from conception to completion without facing some design complications along the way. In Los Angeles, famous businessman and art collector Eli Broad knows this better than anyone, having experienced some exceedingly turbulent times during the construction of the iconic Disney Concert Hall. Just next door to Frank Gehry’s landmark structure, Broad’s latest project has provided yet another challenge of epic proportions for the renowned philanthropist, but it is finally ready to be unveiled to the public on September 20th.
The Broad Museum was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro to house a large portion of Eli’s extraordinary array of art, allowing visitors to view works in a comprehensive permanent collection for the first time in 40 years. According to the architects, the cavernous interior will take people on a “sweeping chronological journey through Broad’s contemporary art collection that has never before been possible in such depth.”
© Iwan Baan
Development and construction of the museum’s distinctive, honeycombed “veil” was not without its difficulties. Originally conceived as a distorted skin of uniquely shaped interlocking panels, the German fabricator originally tasked with installing the façade missed its deadline in autumn 2013 due to the excessively complex design. According to Curbed LA, this setback delayed the project by 15 months and added $19.8 million to the overall construction cost.
The final building envelope has been simplified, its panels rationalized to aid the manufacturing process, and the perforated openings are smaller in size than those seen in early project renderings. So, have these compromises diluted the architects’ original vision for the Broad, or have Diller Scofidio + Renfro managed to rescue this troubled project from being tempered to the point of mediocrity?
© Iwan Baan
Going by the latest images — photographed with characteristic artistry by Iwan Baan — it appears that the museum has survived its tumultuous trip from rendering to reality relatively unscathed. It is true that the openings across this unusual façade have been diminished, leading to a tightly packed honeycomb that creates a more solid barrier between the gallery interior and the public realm outside.
However, it could be argued that this heightened level of concealment is actually beneficial. The internal spaces are wrapped within a cocoon of fiberglass, provoking a sense of intrigue that entices people to discover the cultural treasures within. On a clear, sunny day, shadows cast by the perforations articulate the façade, lending it depth and transforming it into a contemporary sculpture in its own right. By night, the interior is illuminated, creating the effect of a lantern on the sidewalk of downtown Los Angeles.
© Iwan Baan
Inside, a cave-like entrance lobby contains an escalator that funnels people upward to the beginning of their journey through Broad’s expansive collection. Highlights will include 1960s works by Andy Warhol, paintings and sculptures by Cy Twombly, and Yayoi Kusama’s immersive Infinity Mirrored Room – The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away.
“This installation is an incredible opportunity to highlight the collection’s breadth and demonstrate in full force the Broads’ nearly five-decade engagement with art,” said Joanne Heyler, founding director of the museum. “We are not only able to present exciting moments of the collection’s well-known depth in artists like Twombly, Lichtenstein, Koons, and Warhol, but we also have explored interconnections between artists and are showing works not previously associated with the collection and shared for the first time with Los Angeles audiences, including many of our most recent acquisitions.”
© Iwan Baan
It appears that Diller Scofidio + Renfro have designed the main exhibition spaces as blank canvases, allowing the works by this artistic hall of fame to take center stage. Ribbed ceilings with integrated lights echo the latticework of the external façade, while the elevator and stairwell balustrades have been constructed entirely from glass to reduce its visual impact to a minimum. The rest of the space remains unadorned, awaiting the arrival of the collection and the influx of visitors that will come to view it at the end of the month.
The Broad’s identity will only truly be established when these artworks are in place: until then, it remains a sparse but inviting vessel into which people will be drawn to explore. Indeed, the evidence suggests they are eager: the Los Angeles Times reported that the museum’s online reservation crashed under the weight of bookings, the first two days already sold out. Despite the travails, Eli Broad has seen another project brought to fruition. Whether he will want to run the architectural gauntlet again after this challenging experience, only time will tell.
