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Los Angeles’ art world may be celebrating the long-awaited expansion of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art — but online, critics are fixated on something far less highbrow: smoothies.
Today, LACMA revealed it will partner with ultra-luxe grocery chain Erewhon to open a cafe inside its new David Geffen Galleries expansion, and not everyone is sipping the Kool-Aid.
The smoothie bar will be located on the ground level of the new galleries, offering Erewhon’s signature organic blends, celeb collabs and famously sky-high price points to museum-goers.
Instead of applause, the announcement has triggered a wave of backlash across social media, where critics argue the partnership clashes with the museum’s public mission.
“They should just make one out of tar from the tar pits,” one commenter, John Arthur Hill, joked—a nod to LACMA’s famous neighbor, the La Brea Tar Pits.
Others were less amused. “…overpriced mediocre food for a museum that abandoned the concept that it belongs to the residents of Los Angeles,” another wrote on Instagram. “Seems appropriate.”
“Museum’s are supposed to be accessible, Erewhon is the antithesis of accessible,” added a disgruntled user.
“This is not the place for an Erewhon! I hope this isn’t true!” one person commented, while another fumed: “What a horrible decision. Get EREWHON out of this public space immediately.”
The criticism taps into a broader tension in Los Angeles: the growing overlap between elite wellness culture and public institutions.
The Erewhon outpost will be housed in the northeast pavilion on the W.M. Keck Plaza, so you can sip on a skin glaze smoothie will admiring Alexander Calder’s “Hello Girls” fountain.
“Typically these “outposts” at tourist attractions tack on even higher prices so no thanks,” one person quipped. “What a stupid idea.”
Erewhon has long transcended its grocery store roots, becoming a cultural lighting rod in recent years, known as much for its $20-some smoothies as for its organic offerings.
LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries—a sweeping redesign of the museum’s campus—has already drawn intense attention for its architecture and ambitious vision. But the Erewhon partnership is now adding a new layer to the conversation: who the museum is really for.
The collaboration is a savvy move. By bringing in a brand that is effectively a tourist attraction in its own right, LACMA ensures foot traffic even from those who couldn’t tell a Monet from a Manet.
“Are the selfies one takes with one’s Erewhon smoothies Art,” another commented. “There should be a Polaroid wall.”
