Culture

The vast philanthropic influence of Eli and Edythe Broad is evident throughout LA but nowhere more so than at The Broad, which opened in 2015. “We wanted a museum where we could show art to the public, consolidate our collection in one location and continue loaning artworks to museums around the world,” Eli says. Designed by New York architects Diller Scofidio and Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, the two storeys of gallery space feature pieces by the likes of Jeff Koons, Cy Twombly, Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, Anselm Kiefer and Ed Ruscha.

Late oil magnate J Paul Getty began amassing his treasures in the 1930s. Approaching the museum that today displays them is like escaping into another world; as you shuttle up a leafy hilltop in the Santa Monica Mountains, the cacophony of cars down on the freeway fades away just as the sprawling sight of the city and its blue coastline comes into view. The contemporary construction of the building itself is a vision in Italian travertine and was designed by Richard Meier. Inside, the art spans statues from the sixth century BC to contemporary photography by the likes of Eileen Cowin. Getty also collected antiques from the ancient world and these are on display at the Roman-style Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades; it’s well worth a visit too.

Renowned German gallerists Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers founded this light-flooded two-storey space, set across from the iconic Lacma, in 2016. It’s the first US outpost for the pair. The expansive wall space and polished concrete floors provide a slick backdrop for a solid roster of exhibitions from the likes of Bernd and Hilla Becher; Barbara Kruger and Cindy Sherman; Peter Fischli and David Weiss; and California’s John Baldessari. Idiosyncratic female artists and their role in art history are a particular focus.