The Easel

11th August 2026

Which is the world’s most powerful art gallery?

Alastair Sooke | AOL | 30th July 2026

A not-entirely serious riff on a recent list of the 100 most-visited museums. Foot traffic is a necessary sign of “cultural influence” but far from sufficient. A superb collection – “wall to wall art bangers” – is also a must-have, plus the infrastructure to cope with the flow of visitors. Reputation maintenance demands that great works continue to be acquired. An historic collection, it seems, is wonderful but cold hard cash is almost as good. This (British) writer awards first place to – surprise – London’s National Gallery.

David Geffen Galleries

Ian Wardropper | The Burlington Magazine | 1st August 2026

A renowned former art gallery director assesses LACMA’s dramatic building. A new building was sorely needed, and its exterior has “undeniable Brutalist power”. High internal natural light levels and raw concrete walls limit what art can be placed where.  “Shockingly”, the building allows barely 1% of the collection to be shown. Is the building just following the current popularity of “mixed-use lifestyle centres”? Pleasure is at the core of a museum experience but “art is [hopefully] not forgotten in the process”.

Older links