© Museum Associates/LACMA, Photo by Gary Leonard

From the 14th floor of the 5900 Wilshire Boulevard building, Michael Govan, CEO and Wallis Annenberg director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, watches the daily progress on construction of the David Geffen Galleries. The bird’s eye view affords him a unique perspective as his vision of the new LACMA campus evolves.

It was in this watchtower that Govan, the charismatic leader of the biggest cultural institution in Los Angeles, expressed his contained excitement on the completion of the s-shaped building crossing over Wilshire Boulevard. I say contained because he so wanted to give us more details – but exercising caution, he demurred about discussing possible opening dates.

We spoke with Govan and the Chief Operating Officer of LACMA, the dynamic and expressive Diana Vesga, about the ongoing construction of the new $650 million LACMA campus.

As the duo bounced details off one another, they made clear that while the new LACMA will be a world class cultural destination, it is ultimately a gift to Los Angeles. It is here for the locals.

“We have 130 [working] days to finish major construction. And the work that is being done now is the inside – mechanical, electrical and plumbing finishes and then of course hardscape and landscape. We are over 80% complete at this point,” Vesga said.

“We’re on a schedule that we’ve had for a very long time. We’re very close to the schedule we set 15 years ago. We had challenges for the better part of the year with tar and bones. We knew we might find something [but] we never imagined that we would find 15 saber-toothed cat skulls,” Govan explained.

“Apparently an anthropologist finding one saber-toothed cat skull is like a career find. And they found 15 of them,” Vesga added.

“Great for science – a little challenging for art,” Govan chuckled. “Only in L.A. would you have to delay a museum for saber-toothed cats.”

As they discussed the sheer magnitude of the project, it was evident Govan and Vesga collaborate daily on the progress of what will ultimately be the most significant art museum of not only the West Coast but perhaps the United States.

“It’s an engineering marvel. We live in a seismic zone, we have codes we have to meet, [we were] going to make sure this building did not need to be replaced like a lot of buildings in L.A. We invested a lot in the longevity of this building. It’s built on perhaps the most sophisticated and largest base isolation system ever made,” Govan said.

What is a base isolation system, you ask?

“Really base isolation means big rubber tires. They’re steel with rubber around them, but it means the Earth or the building can move five feet in any direction,” he said.

Michael Govan and Diana Vesga explain the model for the new David Geffen Galleries at LACMA. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The ultimate goal is to bring art to the people, whether they are inside the structure – or standing on the grounds outside – looking through the glass to see sculptures, ceramics and other object d’art. And not just any glass. This glass acts not only as a visual oeuvre to the art, but also as a protector. The 28.5-foot-wide by 10-foot-high panels are filled with argon gas, functioning as insultation, preserving the integrity of the art on the inside.

“There are only about two places in the world where this kind of glass could be achieved because of its quality … the scale of it. [The glass panels] are made in Italy outside of Milan and tested in Germany. Each one of those gets very specifically packed and shipped. And there are 250+ panels to be installed,” Vesga said.

“The idea is you will be able to watch the sunset on certain days and that’s something, for me, that was really important – that transparency and accessibility, [to be able to] see out and to know that you’re in Los Angeles. And by the way, you can see a really clear view of the Beverly Hills City Hall,” Govan said.

Letting the light in is part of the experience at the new David Geffen Galleries. Most people think of museums with art inside four walls. The concept is to have the natural light shine through the glass, creating light and shadows with a new perspective. On cloudy days, the art will appear one way and on sunnier days, the light will cast a different view. Art that can withstand the light will be displayed in these spaces, while art that requires a controlled setting will be displayed on the interior. About one-third of the collection can tolerate the natural light.

Govan described architect Peter Zumthor’s vison of not just the building but also how the art and light interact.

“Peter’s main idea was to lift all the galleries and let people free flow through the whole park. We freed up three acres of ground space for the public. And all that space is programmed, we’re going to add outdoor films, we can do dinner for 400 under cover, we have education space where students can work outside, we have three dining places, a main restaurant and two cafés where people can leisurely gather, and we have outdoor sculpture. And that sounds like a beautiful idea. Achieving it is quite a feat.”

Govan gestures with his hands as he imagines a visitor’s experience coming to the galleries, both on the grounds of the LACMA campus and inside the concrete s-shaped building.

“Peter Zumthor’s architecture is this dialogue between very sturdy lasting forms, and the constant play of light and shadow. We contrast something very permanent, the concrete, with this idea that if you walk in on a cloudy day, it’s going to feel different than if you walk in on a sunny day, it’s going to feel different in the morning, it’s going to feel different in the evening, it’s going to feel different at night, it will feel different at different times of the year.”

Govan moves his hands in a circular fashion as he explains a slow rotation of the collection, contrasted with the rotation of light, set against the permanency of the hand-crafted concrete building.

“The whole building is designed for slow rotation so that not only will the light always be different, but if you come back in a couple of years, there will be different [art pieces] in the building. So this idea of the ebb and flow of the dynamic, slowly and ever changing is a key part of the way that the museum will function.”

As for the permanent collection, Govan and Vesga shared that new acquisitions have been made during the construction period. While they did not reveal too many details, Govan reiterated the donation from the late Bel Air resident Jerrold Perenchio.

“I think the biggest news … is that this is the first time at LACMA, the entire curatorial staff collaborated for a fresh look at art history. Usually, institutions evolve piece by piece, and gallery by gallery. There’s a little of that, but there’s a massive amount of collaboration,” Govan said.

Thirty-three curators worked together on what he deemed “the biggest collaboration ever.”

“I looked around and I counted how long they have been educated. And I said, there’s like a millennium of education sitting in this room. It is the most important thing other than the building itself. All these curators [span] many generations and [possess so much] expertise. It’s by far the most cross departmental, if you will, installation of world art history ever conceived.”

He and Vesga emphasized many of the public’s favorite pieces will return, however they will be displayed in a whole new light. It will not simply be hanging the art the way it used to be but displaying it in a completely different way.

“[It will be] 110,000 square feet of an entirely new museum. I think it will be something that the world is going to be writing about,” Vesga said.

As for the craftsmanship, more than 1,000 concrete workers poured, smoothed and shaped the concrete, each taking great pride in their work. Govan recalls a visit from Zumthor where he was so impressed by the quality of the hand-crafted building, he said “we’re going to have to order some mistakes.”

Looking to the future, Govan reflected on the impact LACMA will have on tourism and the 2028 Olympics.

“By the time the Olympics are here, there [will be] be an entirely new museum. And if you add that to everything else that’s been built, the truth is that the world hasn’t been to Los Angeles as a world in a very long time. This will be the third Olympics. As Casey [Wasserman, chairman of LA2028] will say, very articulately, ‘They’re going to be so surprised, because we’re a little bit written off in that sense,’ but when you see [LACMA] it might be the latest, greatest thing, but really what it is, is what’s accumulated from SoFi stadium … to the Lucas Museum opening, the Academy Museum that’s already open and Metro is going to be open. Casey always says that it’s just going to be a revelation and we’re going be a key part of it [as] one of the biggest and, I would say, most ambitious.”

Natural light will change the perspective depending on time of day, time of year and the weather. (Rendering courtesy of Museum Associates/LACMA)

The Miracle Mile will be THE destination in Los Angeles, Vesga exclaims.

“[It] really is so significant architecturally. I mean, the Miracle Mile really will be the destination for anyone coming to Los Angeles. You have in this one location incredible institutions and incredible architecture,” she said.

Once the museum opens, every Los Angeles County citizen can feel they are a part of it. Every Angeleno is invested in it and contributed to it, Govan explains.

“This building is funded 20% by L.A. County, and 80% by private sources, foundations and individuals. The entire 100% of it will be a gift back to the people of L.A. County, because it’s paid off,” Govan said.

Unlike museums that are individually owned or left as legacy by foundations, LACMA is a hybrid of public/private partnership.

“It lives up to the highest goals of any American art museum in terms of the amount of private philanthropy. It’s almost $600 million of private philanthropy,” Govan said.

Bringing all the people who made the new LACMA together felt, in Govan’s words, “like a barn raising.” Many people contributed to the overall project, he said.

It is their hope that LACMA will bring the city together to enjoy one of the greatest Los Angeles County cultural institutions with one another – not as individuals, but as a community.

“It’s a perfect mirror of that diversity and the people. We really hope that people will see themselves in the artwork and in their fellow citizens,” Govan concluded.