What’s in a Museum Name?

So, it turns out that in addition to tearing down most of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, per architect Rem Koolhaas’ scheme, the leadership is also considering a name change--to the Los Angeles County Museums of Art.

Koolhaas’ design calls for five separate, but linked, centers: American, Asian, European, Latin, and modern and contemporary art. The LACMA board is considering naming each center (i.e., museum) for a major donor to the project. The idea could also solve the problem of honoring past donors (Ahmanson, Anderson) whose buildings will be demolished.

Museum director Andrea Rich won’t even speak sotto voce about this matter, but board member Janet Karatz--while unwilling to provide details--said the naming issue has been very much on the table at many board meetings. “We are addressing this with so much respect to our past donors, and our present donors; that is very important to us.”

What isn’t yet clear is how much it’ll take to get your name on one of the “museums.” Total cost of the project is estimated between $200 million and $300 million.

Ahem ... paging Eli Broad ...