LACMA sets a reopening date. Six new shows are lined up after year of closure

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced Monday that it will reopen April 1 after a yearlong closure — and when it does, it will have six new exhibitions on view.

On Monday much of Southern California moved from the state’s most restrictive purple tier COVID-19 classification into the red tier, which means museums are allowed to reopen indoor spaces at 25% capacity with safety protocols in place.

When it reopens for members March 26-30, LACMA will require guests to wear a face mask, undergo online health screenings and make an online reservation for timed entry. Visitors will get their temperature checked, and as at so many cultural institutions, follow a one-way path through the galleries marked with social distancing signage.

“We have a diverse and exciting program of exhibitions that are sure to inspire visitors during these challenging times,” LACMA Director Michael Govan said in the announcement.

The new exhibitions on view consist of the enormous video installation “Bill Viola: Slowly Turning Narrative,” part of the museum’s permanent collection and shown for the first time there in about 20 years; a retrospective of the Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara; an exhibition of objects across LACMA’s collections, “NOT I: Throwing Voices (1500 BCE–2020 CE),” that uses ventriloquism as its organizing principle; “Vera Lutter: Museum in the Camera,” showcasing photographs the artist made, using the camera obscura technique, while in residency at the museum from 2017-2019; “Cauleen Smith: Give It or Leave It,” a solo exhibition of video work and installations by the L.A. artist; and 16 works that are new to the museum’s collection, “View From Here: Recent Acquisitions.”

“We are thrilled to again be a source of respite, solace, and beauty for Angelenos,” Govan said.

LACMA also extended the run of two exhibitions that were paused due when the pandemic forced doors to close on March 14, 2020: “Do Ho Suh: 348 West 22nd Street” and “Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific.”

“Mark Bradford: 150 Portrait Tone,” the artist’s response to the 2016 shooting of Philando Castile by police in St. Paul, Minn., is also on view — with added resonance following more recent protests over police violence.

LACMA’s virtual programming will continue, but in-person events, such as screenings and art talks, are still on hold because of county mandates on in-person gatherings.

Members may make reservations starting 10 a.m. Friday, and the public may buy tickets starting 10 a.m. March 25 at lacma.org or by calling (323) 857–6010 (10 a.m.–5 p.m. weekdays).