ARTISTIC UPGRADE
Major improvements are underway that will give the Los Angeles County Museum of Art some serious culture cred. The place gets a whole new look when the Broad Contemporary Art Museum makes its debut next month. The Renzo Piano-designed building comes to us thanks to a $50 million gift from local philanthropists and serious collectors Eli and Edythe Broad. Look for 60,000 square feet of exhibition space on three floors. The art space will be one of the largest in the United States featuring noted works by Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Ed Ruscha, Damien Hirst and John Baldessari, among others.
And if that doesn’t give you reason enough to make your way to Mid Wilshire, you can also check out the newly acquired Janice and Henri Lazarof Collection. The collection is seen as a major coup for LACMA with 130 spectacular paintings, sculptures and drawings.
There are 20 works by Pablo Picasso from 1905 to 1970 showcasing his prolific career. Among the artist’s masterpieces are 17 portraits depicting the women in his life. They include his 1906 Rose Period depiction of companion Fernande, three portraits of mistress Dora Maar as well as his famed Women of Algiers.
You’ll find watercolors by Paul Klee, modern marvels from Wassily Kandinsky, bronzes by Alberto Giocometti and works by Constantin Brancusi, George Braque, Edgar Degas, Fernand Leger, Henry Moore and Camille Pissaro. The Brancusi pieces are among the artist’s most famous, including two versions of the sculptor’s signature Bird in Space.
“We are deeply grateful to Janice and Henri Lazarof for bringing this collection to LACMA,” says CEO Michael Govan. “At a time when the art market has made it nearly impossible for museums to purchase works of this quality, this important acquisition brings to the people of Los Angeles works by key figures that define the modern century.”
Museum curator Stephanie Barron has watched the collection grow over the years. “This is a collection that has been built carefully and painstakingly over several decades,” Barron says. “Having these works available at LACMA will forever change how future generations of visitors will understand modern art in Los Angeles. That these marvelous works of art will have a permanent home in the museum is an example of the greatest philanthropy.”
The museum did not disclose the value of the collection, but it’s believed to be worth about $100 million.