Academy Museum
A guide to the leading moving image art institutions in the world → The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is the largest of its kind in the United States.
Institutions
What is the Academy Museum?
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened in 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with the intent of displaying part of its massive collection of film objects, the museum is the largest of its kind in the United States and the world. The museum is housed in the Saban Building, formerly the May Company Building, a noted example of the Streamline Moderne architectural style.
What is the mission of the Academy Museum?
The idea of opening a museum devoted to the cinematic arts emerged as a natural and logical progression of the ubiquitous presence that film has had in society and its pervasive influence in shaping the public consciousness around the world. Despite the power that film possesses as a dynamic visual medium it has not always received the same level of artistic respectability as theater, painting, sculpture, music, writing and other forms of expression.
The Academy Museum's mission is to rectify that misconception through a combined strategy that aims to advance understanding, celebration and preservation of cinema. Centered around a vast collection that the Academy has amassed since its inception in 1927, the Museum offers a suitable venue for staging dynamic and diverse exhibitions conducive to educating the broader public about the past, present and future of filmmaking. These are supplemented by rich and carefully curated screenings, collections, publications, digital experiences and educational programs that contextualize cinema and challenge prevailing narratives.
In conjunction with its role as a repository for artefacts tied to film history, the Museum also serves the role of incubator; it provides boundless opportunities for budding generations of film artists, scholars, critics, and film and museum lovers to acquaint themselves with the legacy of filmmakers from bygone days and to inspire new visions for cinema in the future.
What facilities does the Museum have within its premises?
The Museum extends over a generous area of 350,000 square feet, encompassing the Saban Building and the Sphere, a seven-floor exhibition space designed as an extension to the main building by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano. A series of exhibition spaces, special event spaces, a conservation studio, a café and a museum store are arranged throughout the premises of the museum, offering a full-spectrum experience for the public.
The museum also features two theater halls intended for screenings, programming and other special events; the larger David Geffen Theater in the Sphere has seating for 945 persons, while the smaller 277-seat Ted Mann Theater is located on the lower level of the Saban Building.
What exhibitions, screenings and events have been held at the Museum?
The opening of the Academy Museum on September 30, 2021 was a much-anticipated event, as it had been announced since 2012, but had encountered many delays, of which the most recent one was the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequent to its inauguration, the museum has hosted a variety of exhibitions which examine the history of cinema and the participation of various segments of American and global society in the cultivation and dissemination of film.
Among its permanent exhibitions, the museum displays Stories of Cinema, which takes an in-depth look into seminal films and filmmakers, such as The Wizard of Oz, editor Thelma Schoomaker, Citizen Kane, Pedro Almodovar, Spike Lee, etc. In Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital, the museum considers the impact that Jewish film pioneers had on the birth of the film industry in Los Angeles, establishing its primacy both in the United States and internationally.
Temporary exhibitions at the Academy Museum are another feature of the institution's curatorial policy, alternating their thematic focus on individual filmmakers, time periods or themes that do not receive sufficient coverage. Some of the temporary exhibitions featured at the Academy Museum include: John Waters: Pope of Trash, Director's Series: Bong Joon Ho, Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures through Cinema and many others.
Where can I find more information about the Academy Museum?
The Academy Museum site has announcements about current and upcoming exhibitions, education programs, screenings, etc. Tickets for entry to the museum and to events can be purchased directly through the site.