While Eli Broad is now considering bringing his art collection downtown, the Broad Foundations isn't any closer to announcing what architect may be designing the museum. "We can't pick an architect or a design until we have a site," spokesperson Karen Denne told us today. But keep in mind that last year Broad asked a handful of architects to submit designs as part of a competition for the museum. At that point, it seemed the museum was still planned for Beverly Hills (later, Santa Monica would be added). Previously, Denne declined to comment on the status of the competition, and today, she also had no update. But least one name that keeps cropping up for this project is Thom Mayne. Last fall, the Morphosis founder was cited by LA Times critic Christopher Hawthorne as a possible contender. And a couple of weeks ago, we caught up with Santa Monica City Councilman Bob Holbrook on the day Santa Monica prematurally claimed victory in the Great Broad Museum Race. Holbrook told us that his hunch was that Broad would bring Mayne or Frank Gehry to Santa Monica. The architect may be a mystery, but one thing that's certain: If downtown is chosen, Grand Ave is going to turn into modern museum row. Located across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), this museum would house some of Broad's collection of modern art, a booty which includes works by Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Terry Winters, Chuck Close, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, and Frank Stella.
· Eli Broad coverage [Curbed LA]
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