Basquiat, Warhol, and Koons Star at The Broad’s New Thematic Collection Installation ‘Creature’

Emerald Clifford

“Creature,” a thematic collection of installation art, comes to the The Broad museum with the goal of provoking reflection on existential themes of life, love and death through major works by some of today’s best-known modern artists. Featuring works of more than 25 artists, this exhibition is will include installations by Andy Warhol, his protegé Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Jenny Holzer and Damien Hirst.

The first stop in the collection is a 15-foot cyclops, “Giant Figure,” by Thomas Houseago, making its U.S. debut. Later, visitors will find 10 casts of human heads suspended from the ceiling at eye level, a work by Bruce Nauman. The exhibit’s stated intent is trigger reflections and reconsiderations of perceptions of self. The artworks on display examine styles of interpreting human experience in the body and consciousness from the artists’ perspectives. The collection includes depictions of animals, mythological avatars, human figures, and other forms shown as representations of self.

This collection features more than 50 pieces of thematic artwork, including “Metallic Venus,” the Goddess of Love, by the iconic Jeff Koons, with his signature metallic glaze on the Greek divinity. Holzer is represented by 1989’s “Laments: I was sick from acting normal …” The piece is composed of scrolling text projected onto a sarcophagus.

The Broad in Downtown LA opened last year and showcases nearly 2,000 works of art owned by L.A. billionaire Eli Broad, one of the largest collections of postwar and contemporary art in the world. The museum allows visitors to see the extensive artwork collections owned by Eli and his wife Edythe in both thematic displays and the permanent collection of the vault.

The Broad Museum, which the Broads built after canceling plans to donate the collection to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Miracle Mile, is designed to increase public exposure of postwar and contemporary art. The new building is one of the most distinctive facades of downtown LA, and the display spaces have been hailed as some of the world’s best thanks to the use of filtered and reflected natural lighting. Since its opening in 2015, the couple and their curators have been selecting the artwork on display.   

“Creature” is on display Nov. 5 – March 19. Admission is free. Reservations are recommended here.