Feb 10, 2020

Running a contemporary art museum is a balancing act

Kai talks to Joanne Heyler, founding director of Broad, in front of Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting, "With Strings Two." Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace

Joanne Heyler, founding director of The Broad in Los Angeles, explains why expanding the collection requires a delicate approach.

Most of us only get to interact with the multibillion-dollar global art market by visiting museums like The Broad.

Opened in Downtown Los Angeles in 2015, The Broad showcases the personal collection of local philanthropists Eli And Edythe Broad. Their collection of modern art comprises more than 2,000 pieces — nearly all kept at the museum — with just a few hundred on display in its galleries.

Since its opening, the museum has attracted thousands of visitors each year — more than 917,000 in 2019. Joanne Heyler, founding director of The Broad, recently took “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal on a tour of the vaults where the collection is stored.

You can watch the tour below, and listen to the full conversation using the media player above.