Why you should go to The Broad, LA's contemporary art powerhouse
The Broad is downtown Los Angeles' coolest contemporary art museum and a must-see if you're in the city of angels.
The museum was founded by Eli and Edythe Broad who oversee The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Collection and The Broad Art Foundation which owns almost 2000 pieces of postwar and contemporary artworks by over 200 artists.
The collection on display at The Broad (221 S.Grand Ave, Downtown LA) is impressive, and is a must-see for those who look at art and think "that's art?". It's approachable and a great way to get your mind juices flowing if you're in any sort of creative field. You'll leave feeling refreshed, invigorated and able to hit the ground running on your next project.
And the best best part? It's free!
The 120,000-square-foot building was constructed for $140-million, and is spread across two floors with revolving installations on the lower level. The clientele is young and hip with phones in full-view Snapchatting and Instagramming their experience.
If you're looking to visit The Broad take note, there are two ways to get in.
- Get advance tickets online at thebroad.org (these usually 'sell' out fast so look for them to be available at least a month or two before your trip.)
- Get in the standby line up. This line-up is available all-day long but your fastest bet is to get there at least 30 minutes before the museum opens. I arrived at 9:30AM for a 10AM opening and was inside by 10:15. You then can take as much time as you want inside the museum. You can also follow @TheBroadStandby on Twitter for updated wait times.
Some of the unique items in the collection include this "Michael Jackson and Bubbles" porcelain statue by Jeff Koons:
In the Land of the Dead, Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow by Takashi Murakami which is a massive 82" installation spanning the entrance to the second floor of the museum.
Tulips a mirror-polished stainless steel statue by Jeff Koons
Under the Table by Robert Therrien which, as you can see, is what it would be like to be a mouse in a house.
And a very Instagram-friendly Double America 2 by Glenn Ligon which lends itself very well to the current state of affairs.
If you're heading to The Broad in the next few months, you may be enticed to check out Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room but be warned - it's a one-person experience and the wait list for the installation can balloon up to 4hrs. Although it's pretty cool to experience if you can get in early, don't feel like you need to go. The wait times far outweigh the potential addition to your Instagram feed.
Have you been to The Broad? What was your favourite piece of work? Let us know on Facebook.