The Broad

Getting Inside

The Broad releases free timed-entry tickets monthly on the last Wednesday at 10 AM for the following month. These fill up quickly. You can also try standby, but expect waits that vary from 15 minutes to over an hour depending on the day and time. Weekday mornings and Thursday evenings see lighter crowds. Once you have a ticket, you’re free to stay as long as you want. Most people spend 1.5 to 2 hours here.

The museum occupies a distinctive white honeycomb-wrapped building on Grand Avenue. An escalator carries you up through the building’s concrete storage vault, offering glimpses of racks holding thousands of artworks not currently on display. This journey sets expectations: you’re entering a serious collection, not a casual gallery.

The Third-Floor Galleries

You emerge into 35,000 square feet of column-free gallery space lit by filtered daylight from above. The ceilings soar 23 feet high. White walls stretch in every direction. The art commands attention.

The collection focuses on postwar and contemporary work from the 1950s forward. You’ll find entire walls devoted to single artists. Jean-Michel Basquiat’s bold canvases hang near Cy Twombly’s scrawled abstractions. Roy Lichtenstein’s comic-inspired paintings share space with Cindy Sherman’s photography series. Jeff Koons’ oversized balloon animals catch everyone’s eye.

The layout encourages wandering. There’s no prescribed path. You might turn a corner and find Takashi Murakami’s colorful figures or Barbara Kruger’s text-based works. The galleries rotate selections from the 2,000-piece collection, so repeat visitors see different arrangements.

The Infinity Mirror Room

Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away” requires a separate free reservation that you can make upon arrival. Wait times often exceed an hour, and you get just 45 seconds inside the small mirrored chamber. Is it worth it? For most people, yes.

The experience is simple: you step into a small room lined entirely with mirrors. Hundreds of LED lights hang from the ceiling at varying heights, their reflections multiplying endlessly in every direction. The lights cycle through colors. For those 45 seconds, you stand suspended in what appears to be infinite space. It’s simultaneously meditative and Instagram-worthy. Go alone if you can.

Other Notable Works

Robert Therrien’s “Under the Table” installation lets you walk beneath a dining set built at massive scale. Everything—chairs, table, plates—towers overhead like you’ve shrunk to the size of a mouse. Children love it. Adults find it surprisingly affecting.

The museum owns significant holdings by individual artists, meaning you can see the breadth of someone’s work rather than just one representative piece. The Warhol room alone justifies the visit for fans of pop art. Kara Walker’s large-scale works provoke necessary discomfort. Mark Bradford’s layered mixed-media pieces reward close inspection.

Practical Notes

Photography is allowed throughout the museum for personal use. No flash, tripods, or selfie sticks. Backpacks must be worn on your front to protect the artwork. Large bags (bigger than 11 x 17 x 8 inches) should stay home or in your car. The coat check is limited.

A free mobile museum guide provides audio tours accessible through Bloomberg Connects on your phone. Bring headphones. The family audio tour narrated by LeVar Burton makes the experience accessible for kids.

Restrooms are on the first and second floors. If you take the escalator up to the third-floor galleries, you’ll need to use stairs or the elevator to reach the second-floor restrooms.

The Shop occupies part of the lobby. It’s larger than it appears—walk toward the back to see the full selection of art books, prints, and design objects.

What Makes It Work

The Broad succeeds because it removes the usual barriers to contemporary art. Admission is free. The collection features recognizable names. The building itself is architecturally interesting without being intimidating. The staff are genuinely helpful rather than precious about the art.

Contemporary art can feel alienating when you don’t know the context or references. The Broad makes it approachable. You might not love everything you see. Some pieces will confuse you. That’s fine. The collection is strong enough that something will connect.

The museum draws a younger, more diverse crowd than most art institutions. Families with children wander the galleries. First-time museum visitors mix with serious collectors. The atmosphere is curious rather than hushed.

You’re across from the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a short walk from Grand Central Market. Make a day of it. The surrounding Grand Avenue area has restaurants, shops, and Grand Park within easy walking distance. The museum parking garage charges $19 for three hours with validation, but street parking and other lots offer alternatives if you’re willing to walk a few blocks.