The Petersen Museum: Love It or Leave It

L.A.’s Petersen Automotive Museum reopened in December of 2015, after undergoing extensive remodeling. The new building, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (who also worked on New York’s MOMA), is a textured hot-rod-red aluminum structure wrapped by hundreds of stainless-steel ribbons, meant to “evoke the imagery of speed and the organic curves of a coach-built automobile.” But many critics in L.A. are calling it a huge eye-sore, an obnoxious, loud, and tacky Las Vegas-style monstrosity. Will the public hate it or embrace it? One thing is for sure: once you’ve seen it, you will never forget it.

The interior is impressive with twenty-five galleries on three floors, packed with interactive technology telling three stories about the automobile: its history, its industry and its artistry.  I enjoyed the time I spent there. The cars on display are simply jaw-dropping beautiful and for car lovers, there is a special tour to the museum’s vault, where they keep hundreds of car intended to be display at times in different exhibits.