Guide to The Broad Contemporary Art Museum in Los Angeles

New Kid in the Neighborhood

Notice the contrasting architecture of The Broad museum compared to its next-door neighbor, the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Therien's Plates

A giant stack of plates "Untitled" (1995) by Robert Therien welcomes visitors on the first floor of The Broad. The lobby is a series of gray concrete caves that lead to different exhibit spaces, the escalator, and the gift shop.

The Veil

The escalator ride up to the third-floor galleries at The Broad gives you an expanding view of the rooftop portion of "The Veil." This is the name that architect Elizabeth Diller gave for the white "lace" or honeycombed surface that completely covers the building.

Yayoi Kusama's "Infinity Mirrored Room"

One of the highlights of the collection on initial exhibit at The Broad was Yayoi Kusama's "Infinity Mirrored Room​—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away." You step into a mirrored room with a reflective pool and the door closes. You're all alone with your many reflections and a galaxy of lights reflecting infinity. Each visitor gets 45 seconds alone in the room.​

Due to demand, you can schedule an appointment to have a turn inside so you don't have to wait as long. Check for a tablet near the entrance to electronically check in with your phone number, and receive a text when it's your turn to line up.

Jeff Koons' "Tulips" at The Broad

Jeff Koons' "Tulips" is one of many pieces by the artist who has been a long-time favorite with Eli and Edythe Broad. The pieces are made of mirror-polished stainless steel with a transparent color coating, a technique he has used on a number of pieces in the collection.

Blue Balloon Dog

Jeff Koons' "Balloon Dog (Blue)" is another one of his mirrored stainless steel pieces shown at The Broad. This particular gallery is filled with work by Koons.

"Under the Table"

Robert Therien's "Under the Table" is a giant table and chairs that takes up an entire gallery. It's big enough to walk under the table, so you can get a toddler or pet's perspective.

The Vault

The Vault, or archive, at The Broad is on display to the public via windows in the stairway from the first to the third floor. Don't worry: there's also an escalator straight to the third-floor galleries and an elevator that also stops at the second-floor offices so you can take a peek. The flow is designed for visitors to take the escalator up to the top first, then make their way back down the stairs to the first floor exhibits and gift shop.

The View Through the Veil

In most areas, you don't actually see much through the "veil" covering the entire museum. However, at the north end from the third-floor galleries, there's a peek at another architectural landmark, the ​Disney Concert Hall next door.​

Live Art

The costumes, "Tichy 4" and "Tichy 5," worn by live models, are components of Polish-born, London-based artist Goshka Macuga's larger concept tapestry "Death of Marxism, Women of All Lands Unite" (2013). It depicts a picnic at the grave of Karl Marx in London's East Cemetery and incorporates photos taken by the Czech photographer Miroslav Tichy.

Nighttime at the Museum

Even if you don't have time to stop inside The Broad, try to see it at nighttime. It creates a magnificent display when lit up.