Annenberg Space Will Not Reopen

The Annenberg Foundation has announced the permanent closure of the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City. Founded by Wallis Annenberg, and closed since the March lockdown, it had presented free, populist-themed photography exhibitions for just over a decade. A letter from Annenberg does not say why the space is being shut down, other than that the decision was "borne out of the pandemic that has upended public institutions across the world." The parent Annenberg Foundation remains active and will focus on COVID-19 relief and "our commitment to social and economic justice."

L.A. has no shortage of places to see photography. The Annenberg Space was uniquely middlebrow, with most of the shows focusing on celebrities, animals, and feel-good spins on topical themes. The title of the now-final exhibition captures the sensibility: "Vanity Fair: Hollywood Calling / The Stars, the Parties, and the Powerbrokers."

The Annenberg Space joins other public galleries that have shut down in recent years: the Pasadena Museum of California Art, the Main Museum, and the Marciano Art Foundation. If there's a connecting thread, it's that one person was writing the checks—and got tired of it.