The suspense was short-lived. After announcing yesterday that an anonymous donor to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was making “the largest gift of art to LACMA in its history” — including works by Bonnard, Manet, Monet, Pissarro and Picasso — today the museum revealed the patron to be A. Jerrold Perenchio, the former chairman and chief executive of the Spanish-language television network Univision.
An 83-year-old Bel Air resident who is not on the museum board, Mr. Perenchio plans to give the museum about 50 artworks valued at about $500 million. The collection is rich in French Impressionism, including Monet’s 1881 painting “Le jardin de l’artiste à Vétheuil.” But he has imposed two conditions: the donation will only be made after his death and only if the museum finishes construction of a swooping new building designed by the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor to replace four aging edifices on campus.
The museum made progress in this direction Wednesday, when the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to provide $125 million towards new building costs now estimated to run about $600 million, assuming private donations exceed $175 million and environmental impact plans prove acceptable. A capital campaign reaching out to private donors is expected to officially start in the spring, timed to coincide with the completion of feasibility studies on Mr. Zumthor’s design and the museum’s 50th anniversary. The new building itself is projected to open in 2023, when a subway stop comes to the campus.