Museums in Los Angeles County have been allowed to open their doors to indoor visitors for the first time in a year. From the Norton Simon Museum to the Getty Villa, there are plenty of cultural gems to explore. Discover the best of the city and don't miss out on these must-see museums. The Norton Simon Museum houses one of the world's most notable private collections, with European art from the Renaissance, India and Southeast Asia spanning 2000 years, along with contemporary pieces from America and Europe.
You'll also have an impressive array of architecture to enjoy, including touches from artists like Frank Gehry. Book tickets and get more information here. What is now called the Getty Villa (a coastal mansion full of antiques that's also worth visiting) served as the home for decades for the J. Paul Getty Trust's extensive art collection.
But in 1997, the Getty Center opened. The end result is a remarkable complex of pavilions clad in travertine and white metal that houses ornate French furniture, recognizable impressionist pieces and rotating exhibitions. Its relative inaccessibility is more than offset by free admission and panoramic views, from the hills and ocean in the west to the city center in the east. It's closed on Mondays, but you won't regret visiting this huge collection of works any day. Urban Light by Chris Burden is a piece composed of 202 cast iron street lights gathered from around Los Angeles and restored to work.
It has quickly become one of the city's indelible landmarks. But it would fall short if it didn't venture beyond the photo-friendly installation; LACMA collections feature modernist masterpieces, large-scale contemporary works (including Richard Serra's massive spiral sculpture and Burden's hypnotic Metropolis II), traditional Japanese screens and by far Los Angeles' most Instagrammable attraction: Yayoi Kusama's Infinite Mirror Room Souls Millions of Light-Years Away. Industrialist Armand Hammer founded this museum in 1990, mainly to house his own collection, and it opened just three weeks before his death. Now, UCLA's free partner institution hosts fascinating contemporary art, photography and design shows, often with an emphasis on local artists (most notably with its “Made in LA” biennial). The shows are complemented by a small permanent collection and Hammer's public events calendar (arguably one of the best in town), packed with free lectures and screenings.
Advance tickets are recommended; free for county residents from 3 to 5 p.m.Paul Getty opened a museum of his possessions in a fake villa. Eventually, decorative arts and paintings moved to the Getty Center, but the villa remains home to Getty's Mediterranean antique collection. Today, there are approximately 1200 artifacts on display at any given time, dated between 6500 BC and 500 AD. Even if you're not interested in art, the palatial courtyards and manicured gardens are worth a visit. The Norton Simon makeover in the late 1990s raised the profile of the museum, but it also helped expand the range of the museum's collection, giving it more space and creating a quiet and simple environment.
The museum is still known for its impressive collection of old masters, in particular pieces by 17th century Dutch painters such as Rembrandt, Brueghel and Frans Hals. The French Impressionists are represented, among others, by Monet, Manet and Renoir. After watching the temporary shows, head to the excellent sculpture garden. The Griffith Observatory museum is currently open from Thursday to Sunday. The surrounding grounds are open every day.
The view from this hilltop landmark is impressive, especially at night when Los Angeles twinkles below. Inside you'll find plenty of exhibits, including a Foucault pendulum (directly below the famous Hugo Ballin mural in the central roundabout), a Tesla coil, and a planetarium show. Take enough time before the close of 10 pm to look through the 12-inch refractor telescope on the roof; otherwise, you can look through the modern, much less crowded reflector telescope on the front lawn. The permanent exhibition galleries in this children's Exhibition Park museum explore life sciences, human innovation and motorized flight (all with a resolutely 90s design style). But the real attraction here is the space shuttle Endeavour, which paraded very publicly in Los Angeles.
To reach his temporary home in the Samuel Oschin Pavilion, work is underway on a permanent structure intended to show the ship in an upright position. Even if you're not interested in the rest of the museum, it's worth a visit to come face to face with one of this country's most iconic engineering wonders. One of three institutions clustered close to each other in Exposition Park, this beautiful museum documents the historical achievements of African Americans. Although his collection includes some pieces from the African diaspora, his main focus - particularly his temporary exhibitions - focuses on black artists from California and western United States. Based on its name you'd expect this Griffith Park museum to be a cheesy exploration of Gene Autry's life and works.
Instead it's a very engaging exploration of all peoples of West (with sizeable collection of Native American art), describing their history and detailing myths that surrounded it (although yes there are often some kind of memories of Autry on display in lobby). Open-air wells are free to visit; advance tickets for indoor museum recommended. Located on land that once housed productive silent film studio everything in this museum is forward-thinking company from its modern & contemporary collection to its building. The core of permanent collection located Long Gallery with works by artist from each Latin American country plus rotating exhibitions & installations.
Don't leave Los Angeles without visiting these must-see museums! Whether you're a resident or tourist there is something for everyone - from art galleries to observatories - so don't miss out!.
