In a city famed for all things sleek, shiny, and new, the top museums in Los Angeles hold pride of place. The majority of museums in Los Angeles offer free entrance, as well as rare Van Gogh paintings, modern art, European murals, and post-war photos. They highlight American and Californian history, as well as scientific accomplishments. In addition to gorgeous gardens and galleries showing Roman statuary and original architecture, Los Angeles museums host frequent exhibitions.
The top museums in Los Angeles are listed here.
Los Angeles county museum of art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is the Western United States’ largest art museum. Its vast structure has a permanent collection that spans the globe, spans every historical era, and includes European, Asian, and Islamic art. The magnificent Latin American collection, which includes pre-Columbian classics as well as works by historic and contemporary painters such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Jose Clemente Orozco, is not to be missed. Temporary exhibits, continuously changing film programmes, seminars, workshops, and special events ensure that this top-notch museum always has something fresh and intriguing to offer. Don’t miss the massive boulder, “Levitated Mass,” by artist Michael Heizer, which is a feat of engineering.
Getty Center
The J. Paul Getty Trust’s large art collection was housed for decades at what is now known as the Getty Villa (a coastal estate filled with antiquities that is also well worth a visit). The Getty Center, on the other hand, debuted in 1997. The finished result is a stunning complex of travertine and white metal pavilions that showcase opulent French furnishings, well-known Impressionist works, and changing exhibitions. Free entry and panoramic views, which stretch from the hills and the coast in the west all the way around to Downtown in the east, more than make up for its relative inaccessibility. It is closed on Mondays, but you will not be disappointed if you see this massive collection of work on any other day.
The California African American Museum (CAAM)
The California African American Museum (CAAM), which opened in 1977, explores the African-American artistic and cultural experience, with a focus on California and the western United States. Take a stroll through the permanent and constantly changing exhibits, which include a current rich display honouring African-American women’s achievements. Music, film, and fine arts are all featured in the museum’s educational programmes and workshops. CAAM is free to enter, but a fascinating tour conducted by an expert docent (offered four times daily, Tuesday through Saturday) costs $3 for adults and $2 for kids under the age of 17.
Battleship USS Iowa Museum
The USS Iowa Museum, an important US Navy ship that served from WWII to the Korean War and the Cold War, is a great place to learn about US nautical history. This ship-turned-museum, located on the Los Angeles waterfront, features displays and interactive activities that highlight the ship’s historic moments.
Use the museum’s tour app to take a self-guided tour of the ship. You can also take a guided group tour to discover more about the battleship’s sailors and experiences – including its mascot Vicky the Dog – during its nearly 50-year active duty. The museum appeals to both children and adults, and the ship’s decks offer magnificent views of the waterfront. To complete the trip and visit all of the exhibits, plan on spending at least 1-1.5 hours on board.
Petersen Automotive Museum
The Petersen Automotive Museum is a one-of-a-kind museum that exhibits a range of automobiles while also educating visitors on their history and relevance. It was founded with the goal of reflecting on automobile history in terms of its impact on global and cultural life. The Artistry level of the museum, which was constructed in a unique way, exhibits the relationship between art and transportation with elegantly crafted vehicles. The Industry floor, on the second floor, highlights the diversity of automotive efficiency in terms of speed while also serving as a design studio for modifying any automobile’s components. The History floor, on the third floor, is dedicated to the nostalgic history of autos. With hundreds of vehicles on exhibit in the museum’s main galleries, including the rare 1939 Porsche 64, the museum’s vault in the basement has more than 250 vintage and iconic automobiles.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles has a 14,000-square-foot Dinosaur Hall, which houses the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, and Stegosaurus, among other dinosaurs. The museum is well-known for its thorough exhibits of North American and African mammals, but it also contains an interesting marine life exhibit that includes Megamouth, the world’s rarest shark (only 17 have been found since 1976). The Hall of Birds, the bug zoo, and the Discovery Center, which has many hands-on activities for youngsters, are all worth seeing. Adults will adore First Fridays, when guests can sip a drink, stroll the Dinosaur Hall after hours, listen to a concert, and dance to the beats of a DJ.
The Broad
The Broad’s 120,000-square-foot area is divided into two floors and is loaded with canvases, sculptures, and immersive installations that will overwhelm you from the moment you enter. It’s hard to imagine that philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad possess the whole collection of nearly 2,000 vividly coloured works of art on exhibit, including Jeff Koons’ gigantic balloon animal and Andy Warhol’s renowned “Campbell’s Soup Can” piece. New installations by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Michel Basquiat, and Kara Walker will be unveiled for the reopening, although Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room (2013) and Longing for Eternity (2017) will be temporarily shuttered. Nonetheless, The Broad is the type of museum that even non-museum goers will like because the collection is diverse enough to appeal to a wide range of tastes.
The Grammy Museum
The Grammy Museum is a four-story museum in downtown Los Angeles dedicated to music in all of its forms, with exhibits and interactive experiences dispersed across the L.A. Live entertainment complex.
While the Grammy Awards honour the luminaries of the music recording industry, the museum provides a more comprehensive look at music, from recording equipment to the creative process of composition. Throughout the year, the 200-seat Clive Davis Theater features a variety of special exhibits, films, workshops, and live performances. Before stepping inside, take a look at the bronze discs placed in the pavements surrounding L.A. Live, which honour prior Grammy prize winners.
Museum of Latin American Art
The Museum of Latin American Art is the only museum in the United States dedicated only to Latin American modern and contemporary art. This Los Angeles museum, located in Long Beach, features collections by artists such as Carlos Cruz Diez and Armando Morales. The museum is 55,000 square feet in size and includes a massive 15,000 square foot sculpture garden. You can explore the history and heritage of Latin art by strolling through gorgeous murals, oil paintings, photographs, documents, and charcoal work. Participate in a variety of interactive sessions while choosing from a variety of museum events such as guided tours, festivals, the Latin Comics Expo, and art and culture camps.
The Hollywood Museum
With over 10,000 movie mementos and photos on exhibit, the Hollywood Museum is a must-see for movie buffs. Props from popular TV shows such as Star Trek, hundreds of costumes, classic film posters, and some personal treasures of the stars may all be found here.
Over the years, the museum has featured a variety of exhibits, including a “superhero” show and exhibits honouring the lives and works of legendary personalities such as Jean Harlow and Marilyn Monroe. Visit the Dungeon of Doom to witness terrifying movie props including Hannibal Lecter’s jail cell from The Silence of the Lambs, as well as set pieces from The Exorcist, Psycho, The Mummy, and more Hollywood horrors. The TCL Chinese Theatre, famous for its forecourt adorned with the handprints and footprints of several Hollywood icons, is just a short walk from the museum.
Griffith Observatory
Los Angeles stargazers of a different sort congregate at Griffith Observatory to search the night sky. The observatory, which is located in Griffith Park on the slopes of Mount Hollywood, first opened its doors in the 1930s. It is free to attend and use the telescope for anyone who comes (however there is a nominal cost to view shows at Samuel Oschin Planetarium).
In the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon cinema, you can watch a brief film about the history of the Griffith Observatory in addition to taking in the spectacular sky and city vistas. If you arrive during the day, you may want to spend some time exploring the nearby park’s hiking trails, which are also free to use.
Norton Simon Museum
This ‘H’ shaped art museum has distinct brown tiles carved on its outer walls, making it an architectural treat to everyone who sees it. It is blended in the beauty of Colorado boulevard in Pasadena city. Inside these curved and gleaming walls is a stunning collection that reflects a wide range of artistic expressions from around the world. This Los Angeles museum, which houses works by Rembrandt, Picasso, Van Gough, and Monet, is a mix of American, European, and Asian paintings and sculptures.
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) has been the first museum dedicated completely to contemporary art in Los Angeles since 1979. The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA on Grand Avenue, which is currently closed but anticipated to reopen in 2015, is one of the museum’s three venues. All feature works by well-known artists such as Jackson Pollock, Claes Oldenburg, Mark Rothko, Diane Arbus, Frank Stella, and Piet Mondrian in permanent and temporary exhibitions. Artists who are still in their early stages of their careers are also featured. On a regular basis, special activities for children, adults, and teenagers are held.
Every Thursday evening, entry to the MOCA Pacific Design Center is free, and admission to the MOCA Pacific Design Center is always free.
Hammer museum
This museum was founded by industrialist Armand Hammer in 1990, mostly to hold his own collection, and it opened just three weeks before he died. Now, the free UCLA partner institution puts on exciting exhibitions of modern art, photography, and design, typically with a focus on local artists (most notably with its biannual “Made in L.A.”). The Hammer’s public events programme (probably one of the best in the city) complements the productions with free talks, concerts, and movies.
Autry Museum of the American West
The NHM’s original Beaux Arts facility, which opened in 1913 alongside Exposition Park, was the city’s first museum. Gene Autry, the famous singing cowboy of film, radio, and television, created the Autry National Center in Griffith Park. Autry believed that the experience of taming the American West had a global impact, and he established this museum to honour that legacy. The museum’s ever-changing exhibitions are likely to pique the interest of both young and old, with incredible collections of cowboy memorabilia, Western art and sculpture, and Native North American handicraft (think pottery, beading, carvings, and so on). Here you can learn about the history of the Wild West as well as more recent legends; and don’t miss the annual November American Indian Arts Marketplace, which features works by over 200 artists representing over 40 tribes.