THE BROAD: Exciting Contemporary Art in Downtown Los Angeles

Tulips by Jeff Koons

It was my first visit to The Broad museum of contemporary art in downtown Los Angeles and I was unprepared for the power of the art, much of it very large and very colorful. Spacious walls in brightly lit rooms allow each piece to shine on its own and at the same time to relate to the other pieces on display. 

Goldfish Bowl, 1977 by Roy Lichtenstein. Painted and patinated bronze.

Familiar names such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Jeff Koons, as well as artists that were new to me, are represented in the galleries of the museum.

Paintings by Keith Haring.

The motivation for my visit to the Broad was to see the temporary exhibit, Keith Haring, Art for Everyone, an amazing collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, pottery, t-shirts and more. (See last week's post about the Keith Haring exhibit.) The museum’s permanent collection is on the third floor.  

Painting: Party Hat; Sculptures: Rabbit and Blue Dog. By Jeff Koons.

Art and I arrived early, so while we waited for our timed entry to the Keith Haring show, we headed upstairs to get a start on viewing the permanent collection. (Timed tickets are required for the Keith Haring exhibit, and must be purchased. The rest of the museum is free to the public.)

Escalator to the third floor of The Broad.

We followed signs to a long escalator that ascends two stories through a tubular passageway that bursts into a large lighted room at the top. Various galleries branch off from the main room. The perforated “skin” of the building allows in light through rows of semicircular slits. 

Reflections on "Interior with Girl Drawing", Roy Lichtenstein, 1990

Our trip back down to the first floor was in the glass elevator. We shared the elevator with one family with young children who seemed to be enjoying it just for the ride! (There are also stairs.) 

Buster Keaton by Jeff Koons, 1988.

The Broad museum displays paintings and other art collected by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. The focus of their collection is art from the 1950s to the present. 

Under the Table by Robert Therrien. Museum visitors are invited to walk under this giant wooden table (but not to sit on the chairs.)

One of our favorite pieces was Rabbit by Jeff Koons, whose metal body is polished to perfection, catching our reflections like a Fun House mirror..

Rabbit, sculpture by Jeff Koons

These are only a small sample of artwork on display. Before we left the museum, we stood in line on the main floor to see the Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrored Room. (Timed tickets, which are free, are required and available online, but if the line isn’t too long, you are allowed to join—which is what we did.)  We waited for about 15 minutes for our turn to go into the darkened room. At first, before our eyes adjusted, it seemed as if we were stepping into outer space—a bit unnerving, especially if you don’t like heights. But then we realized that the standing platform was actually part of the larger floor, covered with mirrors, as were the walls and ceiling. Suspended lights twinkled in the darkness and were endlessly reflected all around us. It truly felt like we had entered infinity. After one minute, our turn was up and it was time for the next group to go in.

Infinity Room by Yayoi Kusama.

After this spectacular finale, we exited through the gift shop--where we saw many tempting items, although we didn’t buy anything,. It was lunchtime and we were hungry. We saw families picnicking in the small park next to the museum, having bought lunch from one of the food trucks parked along the curb. We ate, instead, at Vespaio, an Italian restaurant just on the other side of the park, enjoying our meal next to the window. We then returned to our car, parked conveniently in the garage under the museum, and headed home. Altogether, a stimulating and fun Saturday outing. 

KEITH HARING, ARTIST AND ACTIVIST: The Broad Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA

Keith Haring, Art is for Everyone at The Broad Museum in Los Angeles

For months I had seen light pole banners along the streets of Los Angeles promoting the Keith Haring exhibit at The Broad museum of modern art in downtown LA. Playful polka-dotted creatures danced across each banner. I wanted to see more. 

T-shirts, posters, books, are among the many ways Keith Haring's expressed his creativity.

Keith Haring, Art for Everyone, is an amazing collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, pottery, t-shirts, and art on just about any surface he could draw on. A rotating slide show of his public art on buildings in NYC, subway stations, and elsewhere is projected on the wall outside the entrance to the exhibit. Inside the exhibit his paintings are so numerous they are double-hung to fit them all in.

As a child, Haring learned to draw using Disney characters and Dr. Seuss books a models.

Strong black lines, bright colors, animals (especially snakes) and other imaginative creatures, characterize Haring’s work. 

I couldn't resist having my photo taken through this decorated window.

His art reflects the influence of other artists of the time such as Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Roy Lichtenstein. (You can see examples of their work upstairs at The Broad in the permanent collection.)

Haring designed posters and flyers to promote AIDS awareness.

Keith Haring, born in 1958, worked in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s, producing an enormous quantity of work before dying of AIDS in 1990. In 1988 he created the Keith Haring Foundation to continue his artistic legacy and to provide funding to AIDS organizations for education, research, and care, as well as to groups that work with children and marginalized communities.

Haring protested apartheid in South Africa through his art.

His commitment to speaking out about issues he believed in grew stronger throughout his career. “Haring’s activism was central to his practice. He used his imagery and celebrity to protest apartheid in South Africa, raise awareness of the crack cocaine epidemic, and the AIDS crisis, and support causes from nuclear disarmament to UNICEF.”

In the last room of the exhibit are some of Keith Haring's final works, including a painting with an unfinished corner, providing a clue to his method.

The Keith Haring exhibit at The Broad is the first exhibit of his work in Los Angeles. The exhibit requires a timed paid ticket, available online. (The rest of the art museum is free.) The Keith Haring exhibit closes on October 8, 2023. See it while you can. 

Moses and the Burning Bush, 1985