Broad Museum

I am feeling totally inspired. Totally inspired because the city I am grateful to call home offers the some truly unique experiences…and for FREE. Since the Broad Museum opened in September 2015, I’ve had my sights set on visiting. Working full-time limits my adventures to evenings and weekends, so it’s taken me longer than I would have liked to visit. BUT…I finally made it! And it was an incredible experience that I am happy to share with you all on my blog. Out of all art forms, contemporary art is the medium that inspires and resonates with me most. Contemporary art is created by artists living today and typically encompasses some sort of element of the ever-changing environment in which we live in the 21st century - ranging from cultural experiences, advances in technology, pop culture, bold designs, minimalism, and so much more.

One of my best friends Liz and I ventured out to the Broad Museum on a Saturday evening around 5:00pm. We did not have pre-scheduled ticket reservations, so we were prepared to wait in the standby line. We had our fingers crossed that it would go quickly, but apparently the onsite ticketing line can have a wait of anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours…Eek! Luckily, we only have to wait about 30 minutes before we were able to enter the museum. While we waited we were able to catch up on life (it seems like there is never enough time for our girl talk!) and be mesmerized by the exterior design of the museum. And again, I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate the Broad being free. Having no cost associated with it makes it more accessible to more members of the LA community, regardless of whether or not they have the financial means to pay an entrance fee.

As we entered the Broad Museum, and to our dismay, we were told by the curators that Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room was completely booked up for the evening. Although the Infinity Room will be on display until February 2016, there are only a limited number of entrances into the exhibit each day. According to the Broad’s website, the room is a “mirror-lined chamber housing a dazzling and seemingly endless LED light display.” Each individual gets to spend 45 seconds in the room, so you can imagine how quickly this would get booked…a few hundred interested people and boom, you’re out of luck! I’ve seen the Infinity Room on Instagram quite a few times and it looks pretty darn mesmerizing. The museum curators advised us to come right when the museum opens next time to make a required separate reservation for the room. 

Truly the only downside of the Broad Museum was not being able to visit the Infinity Room. Everything else was pretty darn amazing. Some of my favorite pieces were Jeff Koonz’ bold and colorful balloon sculptures (pictured above), Cy Twombly’s abstract art, El Anatsui’s copper and wire “cloths” (like the red one pictured above), and Robert Therrien’s “Under the Table.” This sculpture in particular made Liz and I feel like we were in Wonderland! Oh, and of course, Andy Warhol never disappoints.

We were also completely mesmerized by Ragnar Kjartansson's “The Visitors.” Located on the first floor of the museum, there are 9 musicians who are playing various instruments in different rooms of a mansion. The recording of the musicians is projected onto the walls as they simultaneously perform together. It’s hard to describe, and something you have to experience to understand. That particular exhibit left both of us totally wowed.

While there are over 2,000 works of art in this museum, it felt much more like a comfortable, friendly, and eclectic art gallery than a ‘stuffy’ museum. I was pleasantly surprised at how many young people were visiting – a good amount of teenagers and early twenty-somethings – who were perusing the art and enjoying the experience with their friends.

Truly the perfect rainy day or winter activity, you can view the incredible and mesmerizing creations by artists Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Mark Bradford, Jeff Koonz, Barbara Kruger, Roy Lichtenstein, Doug Aitken, and so many more. Don’t miss out on experiencing LA’s newest contemporary art museum – reserve your free tickets and check out the museum times by clicking HERE! The Broad Museum is located at 221 S. Grand Ave. in Downtown Los Angeles.