LACMA Honors Prince by Turning its “Rain Room” Purple

Random International asked the Los Angeles museum to turn its artwork into an homage to the late musician.

2 MIN READ

In memory of Prince, who died last week, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) turned its popular “Rain Room” installation into an homage to “Purple Rain.”

This change was carried out at the request of the installation’s creator, London- and Berlin-based Random International, which took to Twitter to ask the museum to do so. The Los Angeles institution responded soon after, and the lights were changed the next day. Usually, the luminaires used to magnify the effect of perpetually falling rain, which pauses when a person is detected, are white.

Often considered one of the musician’s quintessential singles, the song was used for the namesake album released in 1984 and the major motion film released later that year. At one point, Prince simultaneously held the number one single, album, and film in the U.S.—the first to achieve this feat. The film also garnered him an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.

The Rain Room, which has been featured at other museums such as New York’s Museum of Modern Art and London’s Barbican Centre, was closed on Sunday, April 24, for conservation efforts, according to LACMA’s site. However, it will reopen on May 19 after the work is completed.

About the Author

Chelsea Blahut

Chelsea Blahut is a former engagement editor at Hanley Wood. She holds a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Journalism and Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Follow her on Twitter at @chelseablahut.

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