A new $724 million museum is a visually stunning train wreck

Philip Kennicott | The Guam Daily Post | 24th October 2026

The fancy architecture of Los Angeles’ LACMA cost squillions and has been widely reviewed. What about its display of the art? It is an experiment in “non-hierarchical” display, with the art grouped geographically so it can be viewed in whatever sequence visitors wish. This is “conceptually clever but creates a confused, jarring experience. Chronology is too fundamental a human category to be dispensed with entirely. [For everyone except experts] the museum offers nothing but frustration”.