The Marciano Art Foundation in Los Angeles, a private museum run by the founders of Guess Jeans, the brothers Paul and Maurice Marciano, opens to the public today, 25 May.
The museum is housed in a former Masonic temple that was retrofitted by the Los Angeles-based architecture firm wHY. It includes around 55,000 sq. ft of exhibition space, which will be used primarily to present the Marcianos’ collection of around 1,500 works by 200 artists.
The museum opens with two inaugural shows. One, titled Unpacking, is a presentation of around 100 works by artists like El Anatsui, Trisha Donnelly, Charles Ray and Christopher Wool; the other show, Jim Shaw: the Wig Museum, is a 30-year survey of the artist's work that includes a site-specific installation in the building's former 13,600 sq. ft theatre.
The museum is the latest addition to a growing number of private institutions run by wealthy collectors. In 2015, the Broad museum, run by Eli and Edythe Broad, opened in Los Angeles.
The Marciano Foundation will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays to the public (Wednesdays are dedicated to school groups) and offers free admission, but timed tickets must be reserved online. Tickets are currently sold out through June.