Los Angeles County Museum of Art

5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, USA

Encyclopedic is one way to describe L.A.’s oldest art institution. Sprawling is another. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art opened in its current Miracle Mile location in 1965 and has not stopped growing, becoming the largest museum in the western United States. Its 135,000-piece collection spans 6,000 years of art. It also includes some of the museum world’s most photographed outdoor sculptures, such as Michael Heizer’s mind-boggling Levitated Mass and Chris Burden’s Urban Light. The museum hosts some 40 exhibits per year, plus a dynamic schedule of events, such as Tuesday film matinees and picnic-friendly Jazz at LACMA (held weekly on “summer” weekend nights—which in L.A. means April to November). While anyone can join free tours throughout the day, docents also lead customized experiences for a fee, which will take you through the galleries before or after hours to marvel at artists as wide-ranging as Henri Matisse, Ai Weiwei, Diego Rivera, and Catherine Opie. Kids are also catered to with a special gallery, Sunday activities, and a free membership, which includes entry for them plus an adult guest any day of the year. Pro tips: Plan to spend several hours at the museum, fueling up on wood-fired pizza midway through the day at Ray’s & Stark Bar. And if you’d like to experience the outdoor sculptures without the crowds, go early in the morning or on Wednesdays, when the museum is closed and gloriously quiet.

More Recommendations

Art across Eras at LACMA

The largest art museum in the western United States, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) offers permanent and rotating collections that span from ancient Egyptian objects to modern art like Claes Oldenburg’s giant pool balls. It’s practically a requirement for visitors to take a photo in front of or amid artist Chris Burden’s Urban Light installation that marks the entrance to this institution, so expect to see slews of well-dressed art lovers snapping pics at the golden hour. Children 17 and under receive free admission here, and L.A. County residents can visit for free after 3 p.m. on weekdays.

Friday Night Jazz at LACMA

On Friday nights the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hosts live jazz from April to November each year. Jazz at LACMA has run for more than 20 years, and many L.A. residents consider it a must-do in the area. More than 42,000 people attend the free event each year, where artists like Wayne Shorter, Billy Childs, the Cannonball-Coltrane Project, and Ernie Watts have showcased their talents. After the show, I recommend heading over to Rays for Mediterranean-inspired dishes. Located on LACMA’s campus, Ray’s menu is constantly shifting to take advantage of seasonal fare and new ideas. Their crispy pig ears are one of my favorite dishes. Photo by Ian Irving/Flickr.

LACMA was worth my 20 min dash

So i ran to the museum before it closed with worry that I may not get to see it all but I did. We’ll kind of. Lol. I saw the work in the Resnick Pavilion and Broad of Contemporary Art building and it was worth it. My bad dash through both buildings were inspiring and worth the rushed taxi.

Levitating Mass at LACMA

Los Angeles is not widely acknowledged for its museums, but in fact, LA has some fantastic museums, including LACMA. Don’t miss Levitating Mass by artist Michael Heizer - it’s worth a visit, plus, it’s free to see.

LACMA

“Hey! I’ve seen these before!” I said pointing to the enormous collection of lamp posts situated outside the museum. My friend nodded, “Of course, they’ve been featured in tons of movies.” That’s when I realized I was standing in front of the famous lamp posts at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Only in Los Angeles are lamp posts so exciting. Yet, they are only a fraction of the amazing art you can see inside the museum. From Native American Art to Asian Heritage Art, LACMA boasts an incredible collection of famous pieces from our collective human past. With optical illusion sculptures, giant kitchenware, and tar lakes with floating dinosaurs, LACMA is the perfect place for children and adults. I would definitely recommend visiting this museum during your stay in the LA area.

Best Museum to Spend the Day In

The LACMA is a massive structure with an impressive collection to boot. Even if you are not that into art just spend the day wandering and looking at the magnificent buildings. Of course this is Los Angeles and the museum has it’s own coffee shop, restaurant and craft cocktail program if you are not that into the famous Magritte hanging on the wall.

Great art gallery in LA

The LACMA is the biggest art museum in Western America and houses thousands of art works. Street lamps outside the building make a great photo opportunity.

A scenic walk & Camille

Everyone checks our the lamp posts at LACMA. We walked toward “the Rock” and heard a story about Camille. “The Rock” is actually a sculpture called Levitated Mass, which is apparently a commentary on fame. Standing between us and it was a security guard who offered to walk us around it. He told us about the Rock and about Camille, a young Jamaican single mother he had tried to help. The more he talked about Camille, his anger and pain rising as he warned us against helping people who weren’t ready to be helped, the more we questioned whether this man should be entrusted with security. After dark. In the darker part of the LACMA grounds. We wished him well, said a prayer for Camille, bid the levitated mass adieu, and learned a valuable lesson about staying close to the light.

Sign Up for Daily Wander
Join over a million of the world’s best travelers. Subscribe to the Daily Wander newsletter.
More From AFAR