Los Angeles Museums Enter Golden Age
Los Angeles is being hailed as entering a "new golden age" for museums, with several major new facilities and ambitious expansions underway. The surge in investment and innovation is expected to elevate the city's status as an international cultural destination with new exhibitions and architectural landmarks.
A $1 billion investment from filmmaker George Lucas is bringing the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to Exposition Park, slated to open on September 22, 2026. Designed by architect Ma Yansong, the 300,000-square-foot, futuristic building will house a diverse collection, from Norman Rockwell paintings to "Star Wars" memorabilia. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is undergoing a $750 million transformation, with the new David Geffen Galleries scheduled to open to the public on May 4, 2026. This addition, designed by Pritzker Prize-winner Peter Zumthor, will feature 110,000 square feet of gallery space in a striking building that floats over Wilshire Boulevard. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County recently unveiled its $75 million NHM Commons wing in November 2024. This 75,000-square-foot expansion, designed by Frederick Fisher & Partners, features a transparent glass façade to better connect the museum with Exposition Park and showcases a massive 75-foot-long dinosaur skeleton nicknamed "Gnatalie." The Hammer Museum in Westwood completed a two-decade-long transformation in March 2023, overseen by architect Michael Maltzan. The project added 40,000 square feet of space and increased gallery capacity by 60%, part of a $180 million capital campaign that included a historic $30 million gift from Lynda and Stewart Resnick. This wave of development also includes the future Armenian American Museum in Glendale, scheduled for completion in late 2026, and a planned expansion of The Broad museum in downtown Los Angeles, which is expected to be ready by the 2028 Olympics.
