After a decade of contentious development and a $724 million price tag, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) unveils the David Geffen Galleries. The structure, officially opening May 4, is an ambitious, curvaceous concrete design by Pritzker laureate Peter Zumthor, intended to reposition the city as a hub for experimental architecture.

This massive undertaking, nearly twenty years in the making since director Michael Govan tapped Zumthor, faced intense early criticism, with some outlets dubbing it a 'blob.' Zumthor partnered with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to meet stringent American building codes, including seismic requirements that allow the structure to shift atop isolators during an earthquake.

The design departs from traditional orthogonal galleries, favoring a labyrinthine layout meant to encourage serendipitous discovery among diverse collections, from Greek sculpture to midcentury automobiles. The concrete’s intentionally rough finish, a departure from Zumthor's European standards, reflects a pragmatic collaboration with American construction crews.

Curators reportedly found the space forced them to abandon traditional silos, reorganizing displays thematically rather than chronologically. This architectural overhaul finally addresses the spatial limitations and fragmented campus resulting from previous decades of additions, solidifying LACMA's new institutional footing.