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Both Landmark And Museum, The Broad Joins Contemporary Art Scene In Downtown LA

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad gives his latest gift to Los Angeles in the form of a $140 million museum built to hold some of the greatest pop-art works ever created. It opens in the city's burgeoning downtown cultural center on Sunday.

Located across the street from the city's Museum of Contemporary Art and next door to its Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Broad contains some 2,000 pieces from its founder's personal collection.

Arranged chronologically on three floors, the sculptures, paintings and other works range from the most famous creations of early pop-art pioneers like Andy Warhol to the more recent endeavors of young artists like Japan's acclaimed muralist Takashi Murakami.

Broad along with Governor Jerry Brown and Mayor Eric Garcetti were on hand to take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which featured two 88-foot red ribbons stretched on either side of the museum's oculus on Grand Avenue from the top of the building to the sidewalk.

"Contemporary art is the art of our time," Broad said.

Dubbed "the veil and the vault," officials say the museum's design - which includes 15,000 square feet of exhibition space on the ground floor and 35,000 square feet of column-free space on the third floor - merges the two key programs of the building: gallery space and the collection storage that supports the museum's extensive lending activities.

CBS2/KCAL9's Amber Lee was among several reporters who were treated to a sneak preview of the museum's offerings.

Museum director Joanne Heyler told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO one of her favorite characteristics about the museum is the natural lighting on the third floor.

"It's very rare to have an entire acre's worth of gallery space with natural light throughout," said Heyler. "It just makes the artwork glow."

KNX 1070's Claudia Peschuitta also posted a quick view of the Museum's rotunda on Instagram.

The museum will open to the public on Sunday. Click here to reserve your free tickets.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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