The Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced today that the current owner of a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright disciple John Lautner has undertaken to bequeath the property to the museum.
The donor, described in a LACMA statement as fashion and basketball aficionado James Goldstein, has promised the home, its contents and the surrounding estate, the museum said, adding that the gift reflects a new era of collecting for LACMA.
The gift includes a James Turrell Skyspace in an extensive landscaped tropical gardens, a tennis court, and an entertainment complex, the statement said. Also included are Goldstein’s “extensive fashion collection,” works by several artists, architectural models of the property, and a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud from 1961, it said.
The residence has been the setting for fashion shoots, music videos and several films, including the 1998 “The Big Lebowski.”
The bequest includes an endowment of $17 million for a maintenance fund and a building adjacent to the main house holding an office and nightclub, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The museum has estimated the total value of the gift at $40 million, though Goldstein told The Times the figure is “conservative.”
“For me it ranks as one of the most important houses in all of L.A.,” Michael Govan, the museum’s director and chief executive, told the newspaper.
Goldstein has agreed to let the museum organize limited tours and events while he is living in the house, according to The Times. In the longer term, LACMA envisions opening it for fundraisers, exhibitions and conferences, as well as collaborations with other museums.
