We had been wanting to see the new David Geffen galleries since they opened in early May and we did so in later June. Our plan was to get there when they opened at 11:00, look around the galleries for a little over an hour then have lunch at Fanny’s, a restaurant next door to the museum. We accomplished most of our plan, alas, we couldn’t have lunch at Fanny’s and I’ll explain that later.
These new galleries are enormous! And the layout is very different than any other museum I’ve been to and that was apparently the point. It’s segregated into regions and each region has various kinds of art, from paintings to statues to jewelry and furniture and more! We took the elevator up because the stairs looked a bit daunting outside of the building(check out the photo below). Both ways to enter leave you in the center of the gallery. We went right and wandered around looking at the various art. We enjoyed our visit and now need to go back and see the rest of it. I’m not convinced we saw everything on that right side as there were many smaller rooms that I don’t think we went in. I think next time we won’t include lunch because that cut our time short in the museum.
First up, photos from outside of the gallery. Note the long line of people there checking in. Since I purchased tickets in advance, I received an email letting me know that I could check in at the Welcome Plaza which we did and there was only one person ahead of us. I was happy to avoid that other line.
I was trying to figure out the best way to display the photos that I took. I’ve decided to show them in the order that I took them. In this way you will somewhat see how the museum is laid out. I found the ancient pieces fascinating because I typically avoid those sections of museums favoring favorite paintings and sculptures. The intricate details of mosaics and carvings of ancient marble statues were intriguing. I wondered how long it took to create such pieces. I was so appreciative of the way these galleries are laid out, exposing me to art I’ve never contemplated. Click on any photo to open the gallery and to see captions.
After our tour of half the galleries, we headed to the restaurant by walking along Wilshire Blvd. I found out later that we didn’t have to take that route as there is a pathway between the L.A. County Museum of Art and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. As we rounded the corner onto Fairfax, where Fanny’s is located and where I thought the entrance was, we saw lights flashing. There was an entrance on Fairfax however there was someone standing in that doorway waving us to keep going and that we couldn’t get in that door. Then I saw the other entrance as well as a large gathering of people in the courtyard in front of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. As soon as we entered that area we were directed to join the gathering crowd. It was then that I smelled smoke so those flashing lights had to do with the emergency system. We hung around for a bit getting hungrier by the minute and then decided to leave. I don’t know “the other side of the hill” very well in terms of restaurants and didn’t feel like searching for a place. Instead we headed to the Beverly Glen Deli where we have been before. It was 30 minutes away but then we were halfway home. We had a nice lunch but service is a bit lacking there. It served the purpose and then we headed home. I could not find out what happened within Fanny’s or the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures so I imagine the emergency got cleared up at some point that day.
I’m looking forward to going back to see more of the David Geffen Galleries. I found the following article that gives more information about this wondrous place. Also included is a link to LACMA. It is well worth your time.
Everything You Need to Know about LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries
travels with toby 