All of the free pieces to see at LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries

LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries are finally open to the public, following two weeks of members-only previews—not to mention five years of construction and two decades of development—which means you can finally book a ticket and go inside. But you’d be remiss if you didn’t spend some quality time outdoors with the public art—which includes some very photo-op-friendly pieces. In fact, you could probably leave satisfied even if you only saw the free pieces outside the new building.

From returning pieces to new commissions, classic French sculptures to a playful newcomer, here’s a handy guide to the pieces you can see entirely for free.

Alexander Calder, Three Quintains (Hello Girls)

Located right outside of the museum’s Erewhon cafe, this work by Alexander Calder—part mobile, part fountain—has a history inextricably entwined with the museum’s. It was commissioned especially for LACMA’s opening back in 1965 and was one of the campus’s original outdoor sculptures—it even inspired a poster touting the museum’s opening day. For a long time, it was installed in the now-closed Director’s Roundtable Garden, and even loaned out to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, but now the kinetic work is back in the spotlight, its colorful paddles moving amid the water jets and breeze.

Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Garden

In conjunction with the galleries’ opening, the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Garden has been reimagined, doubling in size in order to display more world-class sculptures—most by Auguste Rodin—gifted to the museum by Iris and Bernie Cantor. Standout pieces include Rodin’s dramatic Monument to Honoré de Balzac, Jean d'Aire, Orpheys, Eve, Marsyas (Torso of “The Falling Man”) and The Shade, seen above, all of which display Rodin’s mastery of the human form. You’ll also spot a bust of Rodin by Émile-Antoine Bourdelle, as well as a couple of contemporary sculptures by L.A.-based artist Liz Glynn.

Tony Smith, Smoke

Artist-architect Tony Smith’s geometric, jungle-gym-like sculpture isn’t new to LACMA—it used to reside in the Ahmanson Building, before it was taken apart and rebuilt outside. It now has a new starring role in front of the David Geffen Galleries, where it can be enjoyed by all. The larger-than-life structure stands at 24 feet tall—rivaling nearby Urban Light in size—and serves as a dramatic welcome to the new building. 

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker

You might be surprised that this living sculpture, located on the south side of Wilshire, is from the mind of Jeff Koons. Offering a decidedly different vibe from the artist’s iconic balloon-animal sculptures, this work, a version of which was previously displayed in New York, is more cartoony—part rocking horse and part dinosaur. What you’ll notice first, though, is the 50,000 drought-resistant native SoCal plants that are completely covering the sculpture’s 37-foot-tall head, which have been carefully selected so that it’ll bloom year-round. Its location across the street from the bulk of the museum’s campus means it’s just as accessible to pedestrians as museum visitors. (Note: The galleries had not yet opened to the public when the photo above was taken, hence the barricades around the installation.)

Pedro Reyes, Tlali

Another new commission for the David Geffen Galleries, Mexico City artist Pedro Reyes’s massive sculpture of a female face both blends into and sticks out against the first-floor wall bordering the new LACMA store. Inspired by Olmec culture and Mother Earth, the work was made out of lava stone and sits against the galleries’ brand-new concrete, seamlessly blending old and new.

Mariana Castillo Deball, Feathered Changes

Don’t forget to look down at your feet. Even the ground outside the David Geffen Galleries is a work of art—literally. The 75,000-square-foot plaza level floor was designed by Mariana Castillo Deball, a Mexico City artist whose work is influenced by science and archaeology. Here, the floor calls to mind patterns drawn in a Zen sand garden (though the medium here is concrete, obviously). Look closely and you’ll find footprints of coyotes, bears, raccoons and even roadrunners. The work grounds (pun intended) viewers in the history of the land and its Indigenous peoples who stood there first. 

Pre-existing LACMA installations

All of the newly installed outdoor artwork joins a pretty amazing lineup of existing public art around the LACMA campus. Obviously the star of the show remains Urban Light, Chris Burden’s collection of 202 cast-iron street lamps along Wilshire Boulevard that in less than 20 years has become one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. Along the 6th Street side, you can walk under the 340-ton granite megalith that makes up Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass. Or get in touch with nature amid Robert Irwin’s Primal Palm Garden, consisting of over 100 palms, cycads and tree ferns planted throughout the campus in a nod to the nearby La Brea Tar Pits and its ice age discoveries. Also of note are Yoshitomo Nara’s whimsical Miss Forest, a 25-foot-tall bronze sculpture, and Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads that greet you when you come up the elevators from the LACMA parking lot.