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You know you’re a big deal when everyone in your field knows who you are just by hearing your first name.
Lots of rich people populate the international art world. But say “Eli” wherever you go in those serpentine precincts, and everyone knows you mean Eli Broad. In that regard he was the art world’s Cher.
He couldn’t sing, but he especially loved Pop art and its descendants, amassing superlative collections of paintings, sculptures and photographs by Jasper Johns (42 works), Andy Warhol (25), Roy Lichtenstein (35), Ed Ruscha (45), John Baldessari (42) Cindy Sherman (127), Jeff Koons (36) and more. When he committed to the work of an artist, he understood the importance of collecting the artist’s work in depth.
Eli Broad, billionaire who poured wealth into reshaping Los Angeles, dies at 87
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Eli Broad Philanthropist And Art Collector Dies Age 87 / /
The Philanthropist and entrepreneur Eli Broad, who co-founded with his wife Edye the contemporary art museum, The Broad in LA has died age 87.
“Eli saw the arts as a way to strive to build a better world for all. He was a fiercely committed civic leader, and his tenacity and advocacy for the arts indelibly changed Los Angeles. He will long be remembered for his unmatched generosity in sharing the arts passionately and widely,” said Joanne Heyler, Founding Director of The Broad.
In 1963, the Broads moved to Los Angeles, which became their adopted hometown and the central focus of much of their philanthropy and civic activism. Since moving to Los Angeles, the Broads have played two leading roles in making contemporary art and world-class architecture essential to life in the city for residents and visitors. Over his lifetime, Broad and his wife Edye, have given so much to the city of Los Angeles including, The Broad
Eli and Edythe Broad. Photo courtesy of the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.
Billionaire art collector, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Eli Broad a towering figure in the cultural scene of the United States, and most of all, in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles has died at 87. His reign culminated with the founding of the Broad, a contemporary art museum showcasing the collection he and his wife, Edythe Broad, built together, which opened in 2015.
In his cultural pursuits, business activities, and education and science philanthropy, Broad proudly proclaimed himself “unreasonable.” (The title of his 2012 book was
The Art of Being Unreasonable.) He helped define what it meant to be a 21st century philanthropist, importing the kind of high expectations, metrics, and authority he embraced in business into his charitable activities. This approach, which he has described as “venture philanthropy,” made him widely influential and also divisive.