There’s been a lot of excitement building around the opening of the Annenberg Space for Photography, and now I know why. It officially opened today, and exceeded all expectations. Beautifully designed, uber chic, set in a vista of steel and glass and a wonderful green scape with lots of restaurants surrounding it. Once inside, it’s a modernist’s shrine to all things photography, showcasing a wide variety of Los Angeles photographers from John Baldessari to Julius Schulman to Catherine Opie to Greg Gorman, and more. It is totally fantastic and not to be missed.

“The interior design is influenced by the mechanics of a camera and its lens. The central, circular digital gallery is contained within the square building to create an architectural metaphor for a convex lens. Even the ceiling features a striking, iris-like design that is reminiscent of the aperture of a lens.”

Damon Webster has a great write-up and lots of photos on his blog, photoinduced.