L.A. Billionaire Eli Broad Lands in ArtReview Top Ten

Los Angeles billionaire Eli Broad has a knack for getting ranked.

The Broad Foundation

Eli and Edythe Broad

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Whether it's as one of the richest men in the world, one of the richest men in L.A., one of the of this country's most influential and generous philanthropists, or, in this case, one of the most powerful people in the world's art scene.

In the recent issue of U.K.-based magazine ArtReview, art collector Broad lands at number seven in the publication's "Power 100," just a few notches down from number one entry Hans Ulrich Obrist, co-director of exhibitions and programs and director of international projects at Serpentine Gallery in London.

"The ArtReview Power 100 is not just a who's who to contemporary art," the magazine writes, "but also a guide to general trends and forces that shape the artworld."

Another local who finds himself in the "Power 100" is Los Angeles County Museum of Art Director Michael Govan, who ranks at number 40. Interestingly, Broad, a major contributor to the museum on Wilshire Boulevard, is a "Life Trustee" at LACMA.

In this L.A. Times interview, Broad and Govan discuss their working relationship.

Over the years, Broad has been determined to make L.A. a cultural hot spot that rivals any major city in the world. It's something that seems to obsess the billionaire art collector.

"Los Angeles, in my view, is one of the four great cultural capitals of the world, yet we get only 2.5 million to 3 million cultural visitors a year," Broad said during an L.A Times interview with fellow local philanthropist David Bohnett. "New York, London and Paris get 10 million or 15 million."

Broad continued, "If you line it up, we have more cultural institutions than New York or London, and people don't realize that. We have great visual arts. The problem we have is one of perception: People think of Los Angeles as the Academy Awards, the Grammys and the film and entertainment industries, which has really tossed a blanket over the culture. But we're breaking out of that."

Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.