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LACMA announced that Erewhon’s pop-up in the museum’s David Geffen Galleries will become a permanent café. The partnership also includes a smoothie inspired by Alexander Calder’s fountain outside the museum and a related apparel collection; prices and the café’s opening date were not specified in the source report.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art said Erewhon’s pop-up in its new David Geffen Galleries will become a permanent café, adding a commercial food outlet to the museum and a new collaboration inspired by Alexander Calder. The partnership also includes a signature smoothie and a capsule clothing collection, though the announcement details available in the report do not give prices or an opening date.
The café is housed in a glass structure beneath the galleries and faces Calder’s fountain, Three Quintains (Hello Girls) (1964), outside the museum. The report describes the fountain as a tripartite mobile that has recently been restored. Its forms and colors provide the reference point for both the food and fashion elements of the collaboration.
The LACMA Smoothie is made with organic mango, mandarin, pineapple, strawberry and lion’s mane, according to the report. Its gray appearance is described as resembling the concrete of architect Peter Zumthor’s museum design, with colored elements intended to evoke Calder’s work. The related apparel capsule is also inspired by Three Quintains; the source characterizes the pieces as pre-distressed.
Elizabeth Wiatt, LACMA’s senior vice president of strategic partnerships, described the arrangement as a meeting of two Los Angeles brands. Erewhon President Josephine Antoci also framed the café as a gathering place. Those are statements about the partnership’s intent; the reported announcement does not provide terms, financial details or information about how the café will operate day to day.
A Museum Café With a Brand Partner
The decision makes Erewhon a permanent part of the visitor experience in LACMA’s new galleries, rather than a temporary concession. For museumgoers, that means the museum’s food offering is tied to a recognizable premium grocery brand and a product collaboration built around a nearby artwork. It also puts the museum’s retail and hospitality choices in view alongside its exhibitions and collections.
The arrangement has drawn attention because it combines a public cultural institution, a famous artwork and a high-profile commercial brand. Hyperallergic’s report presents the collaboration critically, linking it to the wider commercialization of the art world and to Erewhon’s status-oriented image. That is the publication’s interpretation, not a finding established by the announcement. Still, the partnership raises a concrete question for visitors: how museums balance earned revenue and brand collaborations with access, public service and the presentation of art.
The smoothie and clothing collection make that partnership especially visible. The products translate Calder’s fountain into items for sale and consumption, extending the artwork’s reach beyond the museum setting while placing a commercial layer beside it. The source does not report whether proceeds support LACMA, whether the products will be available beyond the café, or what they will cost.
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Calder’s Fountain Inspires the Collaboration
Three Quintains (Hello Girls) dates to 1964 and stands outside LACMA, near the café described in the report. Its location gives the collaboration a direct visual connection to the museum grounds: the café faces the fountain, and the smoothie’s colored details and the apparel collection draw on Calder’s work. The report says the fountain was recently restored but does not provide restoration dates or details.
Erewhon began in Boston in 1966, founded by Aveline and Michio Kushi, according to Hyperallergic. The chain is now associated with premium groceries, prepared foods and celebrity-linked smoothies. That profile informs the report’s skeptical framing of the LACMA deal, while the museum’s statement describes the companies as connected to Los Angeles culture. The available material confirms the partnership and its products, but does not establish the business terms behind it.
““This integration represents the perfect synergy between two brands inextricably rooted in Los Angeles culture.””
— Elizabeth Wiatt, LACMA senior vice president of strategic partnerships
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Prices and Operating Details Not Reported
The report does not specify when the permanent café will begin operating, what the smoothie or clothing will cost, or whether the apparel and drink will be sold outside LACMA. It also gives no details about the partnership’s duration, financial terms, revenue sharing or any role for the museum in setting product prices.
The report says the café is to become permanent, but does not describe its hours, menu beyond the smoothie, seating or service arrangements. It is also unclear whether the collaboration will include future products or programming. Those points would help visitors understand how the partnership will work beyond the announced concept.
art-inspired apparel capsule clothing
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Visitors Await Café Details
The next practical information for visitors is the café’s opening schedule, prices and full menu, along with availability of the Calder-inspired apparel. LACMA and Erewhon may provide those details as the permanent operation is established. Until then, the confirmed development is the change from pop-up to permanent café and the planned smoothie and apparel capsule.
For now, the partnership places a branded food and retail offering beside a restored Calder fountain and within LACMA’s new gallery complex. How visitors respond—and whether the collaboration becomes a lasting model for museum partnerships—cannot be determined from the announcement alone.
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Key Questions
What did LACMA announce?
LACMA said Erewhon’s pop-up in the David Geffen Galleries will become a permanent café. The collaboration also includes a signature smoothie and a capsule apparel collection inspired by Alexander Calder.
What is in the LACMA Smoothie?
The report lists organic mango, mandarin, pineapple, strawberry and lion’s mane. It describes the drink as gray with colored elements inspired by Calder’s fountain; the available source does not provide a price or serving size.
Which Alexander Calder work inspired the products?
The products draw inspiration from Three Quintains (Hello Girls), Calder’s 1964 fountain outside LACMA. The café faces the fountain, and the apparel capsule is also based on the work.
When will the permanent café open, and how much will items cost?
The report does not give an opening date or prices for the café, smoothie or clothing. Those details remain unreported in the available material.
Source: rss
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