Get construction updates, information about upcoming programs, and more.

Sign-up for The Broad's email list.

* Required Fields
Close

THE UN-PRIVATE COLLECTION SERIES ARCHIVE

The Un-Private Collection series, featuring cultural leaders and artists whose work in the Broad collections explores contemporary and controversial themes like politics, society, race and identity, began in September 2013. Information and video archives of all of our past events can be found below.

Sky-lit: Volume, Light, and Sound at The Broad

02/15/2015 | 3:00 p.m.
SOLD OUT - $10 (includes free parking); free for children 17 and under
The Broad
221 S. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles , CA
See map: Google Maps

Tickets for this event are now sold out. A rush line will be available onsite. Details below. The enter-to-win giveaway is now closed. Winners have been notified via email.  
 
 
With construction of the building nearing completion, The Broad is offering the public an unprecedented glimpse into the unfinished museum on Sunday, February 15, when two temporary art installations will activate the expansive third-floor gallery designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. For one day only, visitors will be able to see The Broad’s vast, column-free third-floor gallery in its raw state, before the art walls are put in place for the museum’s opening on September 20, 2015.

 
Artist BJ Nilsen’s sound installation DTLA, draws on the aural environment of Los Angeles. Just as The Broad’s porous architectural “veil” subtly interweaves natural light and glimpses of the urban streetscape of Grand Avenue into its galleries, Nilsen will bring the soundscape of downtown Los Angeles into The Broad. Stillness, the second installation featured as part of Sky-lit, will be activated after dark, and is a sound and light work by Los Angeles multidisciplinary artist Yann Novak. Stillness creates an immersive environment for reflection, inviting visitors to contemplate the effect of climate and light on their physical and emotional states. 

 
Other items to note

• Tickets are reserved for every half hour from 3 p.m. through 10 p.m., with the last entry at 9:30 p.m.
• Nilsen’s work will be presented beginning at 3 p.m., and Novak’s work will be added at 5:30 p.m., with the two works running simultaneously until 10 p.m. The gallery will be briefly cleared around 5 p.m. while Novak's piece is activated. 
• Free ticket reservations are available for children 17 years old and younger. All children must have a ticket. 
• Free parking with validation will be provided at the California Plaza parking garage. Garage entrance is off Olive in between 4th and 2nd Streets.  
 
Rush Line
There will be a rush line at The Broad the day of the program (Sunday, February 15). The line will open at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday and will be open until 8:30 p.m. Rush line not available for the morning time period. Tickets for the rush line will be $10, cash only. Visitors in the rush line will be admitted and charged for a ticket as space is available. Note that it will not be possible to stand in the rush line to purchase tickets for a later time. The rush line will be admitted into the program as space is available. Please note that there is no guarantee that all visitors in the rush line will be able to attend the program. 
 
Release and Additional Rules
 
Since Sky-lit will take place on a construction site, all ticket buyers will be asked to consent to the following release and understanding of rules.
 
Release
 
I acknowledge that The Broad museum jobsite is an active construction site with inherent risks, including the risk of injury or death. In consideration of the permission granted to me to visit the site, and to the fullest extent permitted by law, I agree to release and forever discharge MATT Construction Corporation (“MATT”), The Broad Collection (“Owner”) and their respective officers, directors, agents, subcontractors, employees and insurers (collectively, the “MATT and Owner Agents”) from and against all liabilities, claims, damages, losses and expenses of every kind and nature whatsoever, including but not limited to medical or legal fees incurred or suffered by me, my agents, heirs and assigns (“Damages”), arising out of or resulting from my visit to The Broad museum jobsite, even if such Damages are caused in whole or in part by the negligence, gross negligence, or recklessness of MATT, Owner or any of the MATT or Owner Agents.
 
Additional Rules
 
Please note that Sky-lit takes place on a construction site in an unfinished space. To ensure the safety of all guests, guests agree to wear flat, closed-toe shoes. Guests with improper footwear will not be allowed in the building. No food or drink will be allowed inside the building. Please leave all large bags and strollers as The Broad will not be able to accommodate these items for this program. All minors must be accompanied by a guardian. Guardians who bring their minor children should be advised that this is an active construction site and they assume all risk of injury. Tripods are not allowed. Guests consent to be photographed by The Broad for future internal and promotional use. All sales are final. Refunds not given except when required by law.  
 
Questions? Email info@thebroad.org.

 

The Un-Private Collection: Kara Walker and Ava DuVernay

10/11/2014 | 2:00 p.m.
$12 - Sold out
The Writers Guild Theater
135 South Doheny Drive
Beverly Hills
See map: Google Maps
On October 11, provocative artist Kara Walker was in conversation with Ava DuVernay, filmmaker and winner of the 2012 Sundance Best Director Award. Two of the most celebrated artists working today, both use narratives drawn from real life experiences to tell important stories from the perspective of African-American women. The recent success of Kara Walker's Sugar Baby installation at the Domino Sugar factory in Brooklyn and Ava DuVernay's much anticipated film Selma are bringing difficult yet vital American histories to a wide-ranging public. This dialogue was an opportunity to hear about Kara Walker's process and their shared insights into their art making across the disciplines of visual art and filmmaking.

View works by Kara Walker in the collections

The Un-Private Collection: John Currin and James Cuno

09/14/2014 | 3:00 p.m.
The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles , CA
See map: Google Maps
This talk was co-presented with the Getty Museum's 'Getty Perspectives' series

“…When I was trying to change myself into a figurative painter, I was more drawn to the rococo and the other damned souls of art history.” – John Currin

Artist John Currin joins James Cuno, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, discuss how traditional portraiture influenced Currin's modern interpretation of the form. Co-presented with The Broad's The Un-Private Collection art talk series and the Getty Museum's Getty Perspectives series, their conversation considered Currin's works in the Broad collections and classic European paintings and drawings in the Getty collection.

Currin emerged in the 1990s as one of the freshest voices in American art and was among a wave of contemporary artists who established a renewed interest in portraiture. Drawing from sources as diverse as Northern Renaissance paintings and pinup magazines, he is known for his distortions of the human figure and his critiques of societal ideals of beauty. Currin is also known for his contemporary renditions of old master poses and formats that often conflate opposing sensibilities—vaulted taste with vulgarity, sentimentality with irony, and conventional beauty with banality. Often rife with art historical references and suggestions, Currin’s work overlays with the Getty’s mission as an institution dedicated to critical thinking in the presentation, conservation, and interpretation of the world's artistic legacy.

View works by John Currin in the collections

 

The Un-Private Collection: Eric Fischl and Steve Martin

06/23/2014 | 8:00 p.m.
The Broad Stage
1310 11th Street
Santa Monica
See map: Google Maps

On June 23, celebrated painter and sculptor Eric Fischl was joined onstage by comedian, actor, art collector and Fischl’s longtime friend, Steve Martin. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Fischl helped reinvigorate the traditional medium of painting with contemporary relevance. His psychologically intense paintings, where extraordinary dreamlike scenes take place in suburban settings are some of the most memorable images of their era. In recent years, Fischl has expanded his practice to include portraiture and sculpture, always with an unflinching focus on human relationships and psychological dynamics. A pop culture icon, known primarily through his comedy work in television and film, Martin has been fascinated with modern and contemporary art nearly his entire adult life. He collects Fischl’s work, as well as major artworks by a wide range of artists, from Cindy Sherman, Pablo Picasso, Lucian Freud, Edward Hopper and Willem de Kooning to Franz Kline and more. The pair will discuss Fischl’s memoir, Bad Boy, his early career in Southern California, and the inspiration behind his painting and sculpture.

View works by Eric Fischl in the collections

The Un-Private Collection: Takashi Murakami and Pico Iyer

05/29/2014 | 8:00 p.m.
The Orpheum Theater
842 S. Broadway
Los Angeles
See map: Google Maps

Internationally acclaimed contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, who is represented by 11 works in the Broad collections, was in conversation with author and longtime resident of Japan Pico Iyer. Murakami is known for his bold, graphic works that merge fine art, design and animation and continue to blur the lines between high art and pop culture. His wide appeal and star power often mask his deeply intelligent take on Japanese culture and knowledge which emerges from extensive training in classical painting and his doctorate in Japanese art. The author of numerous books on crossing cultures and a regular contributor to Time, Harper’s, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, and many other publications, Iyer’s writings intersect with Murakami’s work in their focus on the common disconnect between local tradition and imported global pop culture. The pair discussed the complex social and historical narratives woven into Murakami’s work and how they reflect upon contemporary Japanese culture.

View works by Takashi Murakami in the collections

Read a full transcript of the talk

The Un-Private Collection: Jeff Koons and John Waters

02/24/2014 | 7:30 p.m.
Orpheum Theatre
842 Broadway
90014 Los Angeles , CA
See map: Google Maps
Co-presented with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles’s ALOUD series

“As with all great contemporary art, Jeff Koons’ work at first leaves you confused and possibly angered. His sculptures and paintings are deadpan, misleading, comforting, and even threatening at times in their guiltless devotion to innocence. Koons is never campy or even merely clever. Just smart.”
– John Waters on Jeff Koons

The Broad presented an enlightening, irreverent, unforgettable evening with two icons of pop and visual culture. Writer and filmmaker John Waters lead artist Jeff Koons in a conversation about the inspiration and ideas behind his unique works—many of which are in the Broad collections—against the backdrop of Broadway’s glamorous Orpheum Theatre.

Video of full program available above.

View works by Jeff Koons in the collections

The Un-Private Collection: Artist as Activist

12/11/2013 | 7:00 p.m.
Free
Los Angeles Public Library | Mark Taper Auditorium
630 W 5th St
90071 Los Angeles , CA
See map: Google Maps
Co-presented with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles’s ALOUD series

The Broad presented visual artist and world renowned filmmaker Shirin Neshat in conversation with Christy MacLear, executive director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, in The Un-Private Collection: Artist as Activist. Co-presented with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles’s ALOUD series, the talk was held at the Central Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium. In her provocative work, visual artist and filmmaker Neshat has addressed the issues of social repression in her native Iran, from where she has been exiled for most of her career. She also reaches beyond her own identity in her work to address broader concerns about freedom, individuality and the power of the erotic.

Listen to a podcast of the full program

View works by Shirin Neshat in the collections

The Un-Private Collection: Designing The Broad

12/04/2013 | 9:00 am
Free
New World Center, Miami Beach, FL
See map: Google Maps
Co-presented with Art Basel Miami Beach 2013

In addition to offering the Los Angeles programs, The Broad presented a program at the New World Center in Miami Beach in conjunction with the 2013 Art Basel Miami Beach. The event, moderated by noted architectural critic Paul Goldberger, brought together the museum’s lead architect, Elizabeth Diller of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, with Eli Broad and Joanne Heyler to share the conversations that led to the unique design of the building for The Broad. Among the topics discussed were the relationship between the collection and the museum design concept, the decision to make the storage vault visible to visitors, how the Broad collections’ longstanding commitment to lending its artworks impacted design decisions and the significance other cultural institutions on Grand Avenue.

Video of full program available above.

The Un-Private Collection: Robert Rauschenberg

11/23/2013 | 2:00 p.m.
Free
High School of Visual and Performing Arts on Grand Avenue
450 N. Grand Ave.
90012 Los Angeles , CA
See map: Google Maps

Los Angeles artist Mark Bradford and Katy Siegel, professor and chief curator of the Hunter College Galleries in New York, discussed the work of Robert Rauschenberg, dubbed “artist-citizen” in 1976 during his retrospective at the Smithsonian American Art Museum for his dedication to philanthropy and focus on social issues in his art. Bradford, whose work includes photography, printmaking, collage, video and installation pieces, often uses the discarded materials of urban life and has been influenced by Rauschenberg in his ongoing engagement with his South Central Los Angeles community.

Video of full program available above.

View works by Mark Bradford in the collections

The Un-Private Collection: A New Museum for Los Angeles

09/12/2013 | 7:15 p.m.
Los Angeles Public Library
Mark Taper Auditorium
Los Angeles , CA
See map: Google Maps

To kick off the series, philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad were joined by The Broad founding director Joanne Heyler and Inge Reist, director of The Frick Collection’s Center for the History of Collecting, to discuss the stories behind creating one of the most comprehensive collections of contemporary art in the world, including discussions on acquiring their collections, their interactions with pivotal postwar and contemporary artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Cindy Sherman, and why they believe so deeply that these works need to be accessible to the public.

Video of full program available above.

The Un-Private Collection series is running throughout 2014. Please check out our upcoming programs or sign-up for our email newsletter to receive updates about The Broad events.