"The Art of the Billionaire: How Eli Broad took over Los Angeles" by Connie Bruck 2010

Eli Broad

This article details Eli Broad's quest to be the influential person in the Los Angeles art/museum scene.  Broad has gone back and forth between various museums for a couple decades.  He was instrumental in the creation of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) but then began to get too pushy about what work was shown and was resented.  His prevailing ideology was that the museum should emphasize its permanent collection and focus on "populist" shows.  He was then involved with the creation of Disney Hall for a time, where he and Frank Gehry clashed in their dealings.  

He since tried to find a place to house his own collection of art and one where he could have almost complete control over the showing and goings on.  In a deal with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), he planned on donating his private collection, but in return wanted a building all his own, one that would essentially be separate from LACMA and have its own committee of trustees and director.  The Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) was eventually built but then right before its opening, Broad decided that he would only lend his collection of artwork to the museum to be shown, rather than actually donating it, creating a big ruckus.  He then became more involved with MOCA again, as he swooped in to save the museum from a financial crisis in 2008.  He is also working on the construction of a building across the street from MOCA to house his collection that would run in tandem with MOCA but be its own entity, one that he can control.