Hammer Museum Receives $30 M. Gift from Lynda and Stewart Resnick

Lynda and Stewart Resnick, the owners of the Wonderful Company, which invests in health brands, have given the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles $30 million. The gift is the largest one ever in the Hammer’s history, and the museum will honor the Resnicks by naming its main building the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Cultural Center.

Additionally, the museum also announced today that it has received $20 million from the television producer Marcy Carsey, who has been the chair of the museum’s board since 2014.

Both gifts are part of a larger $180 million capital campaign that the museum launched today. The funds raised through the campaign support the Hammer’s current expansion and transformation, which began last year with the renovation of its galleries and is being overseen by Michael Maltzan Architecture. By 2020, the museum expects to add 40,000 square feet to its current digs, expanding its exhibitions spaces by about 60 percent.

Hammer director Ann Philbin said in a statement, “With their remarkable lead gift, Lynda and Stewart Resnick have demonstrated their commitment to our vision for the future, and to the continued vitality not just of the Hammer but of the arts in Los Angeles. When completed, this project will allow us to exhibit more of our fast-growing collection, to showcase more artists who are pushing the boundaries of the field, and to make the Hammer an even more vibrant hub for contemporary culture.”