The Hammer Museum’s new entrance PHOTO: BY MARK HANAUER/COURTESY OF THE HAMMER MUSEUM
“When the Hammer first opened in 1990, it was meant to house a collection of old masters and 19th century paintings,” says Ann Philbin, who’s been director of the Hammer Museum at UCLA (hammer.ucla.edu) since 1999. In 2000, the museum’s approach to art changed. “We put a major emphasis on contemporary art and wanted the Hammer to be a place not just for exhibitions but also programs and events—a welcoming gathering space for people to engage with the art and issues of our time. I had heard about this young L.A. architect, Michael Maltzan, who had designed galleries and homes for collectors, and we hired him.”
Hammer Museum Director Ann Philbin and architect Michael Maltzan PHOTO: BY MARK HANAUER/COURTESY OF THE HAMMER MUSEUM
Over the next 20 years, Philbin and Maltzan set about transforming every inch of the museum. “This was not an easy building to transform,” Philbin notes. “We are a museum adjoining an office tower on one of the busiest intersections in the country. We couldn’t simply build an addition or tear it down and start over.” Maltzan sought the blessing of the museum’s original architect, Edward Larrabee Barnes, and then looked to reconstruct the museum in ways that would enhance the experience. “We weren’t in a position to revamp the entire museum in one fell swoop,” says Philbin, “so we’ve been doing it incrementally, in phases.” They built the Billy Wilder Theater in 2006, redesigned the central courtyard in 2011 and connected the galleries via the John V. Tunney Bridget in 2015. Next, they renovated the galleries and public spaces—like the Bay-Nimoy Studio and Lulu, a restaurant from chefs Alice Waters and David Tanis. A new gallery and study room for works on paper followed. The final elements of the transformation will be revealed in late March: the building now called the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Cultural Center, which features a new main entrance and lobby; a new space facing Wilshire Boulevard; and a new outdoor sculpture terrace.
Chiharu Shiota’s “Uncertain Journey” (2019, metal frame, red wool), an installation view from the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo in 2019. PHOTO: BY SUNHI MANG/COURTESY OF MORI ART MUSEUM, TOKYO. COPYRIGHT VG BILD - KUNST, BONN, 2022 AND THE ARTIST
“People who actually live and work on the Westside ask me where the Hammer Museum is, so it is clear we have badly needed a proper and visible facade,” says Philbin, who’s excited the museum has more prominence. “No one will be able to miss the 25-foot-tall Sanford Biggers sculpture, “Oracle,” standing at one end of the building, and the new main entrance at the corner of Wilshire and Westwood—which ultimately will be directly across the street from the new Metro purple line. And all along the block, our large windows will show all of the art and activity happening inside the museum—our ‘facade’ is really the art showing through.”
To honor the two-decades-long transformation, the museum is showcasing the Hammer Contemporary Collection—which includes over 4,000 objects (paintings, video, sculpture and more) acquired since 2005, with an emphasis on L.A. artists, such as Charles Gaines, Lee Bontecou and Mark Bradford. Notes Philbin, “We’re selecting roughly 100 works to show under the umbrella title of Together in Time, which will fill nearly every gallery of the museum. Additionally, in the new spaces that are opening in March, we will install a spectacular site-specific piece by the Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota in our new lobby, and a brilliant work by Rita McBride, “Particulates,” in our new gallery along Wilshire—it’s made of green lasers piercing through mist, and it will be visible from the street at night, which will be stunning.”
Together in Time: Selections from the Hammer Contemporary Collection features Robert Colescott’s “Knowledge of the Past Is the Key to the Future: Waiting for Moses” (1986, acrylic on canvas), 84 ½ inches by 72 5⁄8 inches by 2 1⁄4 inches PHOTO: COURTESY OF HAMMER MUSEUM, LOS ANGELES, PURCHASED THROUGH THE BOARD OF OVERSEERS ACQUISITION FUND
A party with members and donors will celebrate the project’s culmination, and Sunday, March 26, will be the museum’s opening day to the public—complete with activities and music. This summer, the Hammer will host its concerts series, the next Made in Biennial launches this fall, and the museum is always free and open to all. Says Philbin, “Our goal, no matter when you visit, is to create an experience that is welcoming, inspiring and provocative.”
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