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The southern California city of Los Angeles is much more than Hollywood, Rodeo Drive and Santa Monica. This vibrant city is also home to some of the best museums in the world. These museums display exquisite works of art and feature distinctive architecture that showcases the city’s rich cultural heritage. Here, we list the must-see museums in Los Angeles that will soon reopen for the public. These are known for their one-of-a-kind design and fascinating exhibits.
Griffith Observatory
As seen in Hollywood movies The Terminator and La La Land, the Griffith Observatory is one of the most recognisable buildings in Los Angeles. This majestic structure is located on the slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, offering panoramic views of downtown Los Angeles, the Hollywood sign and the Pacific Ocean.
This three-domed, art deco building was conceived by artist Russell Porter and was built by the studio Austin and Ashley in 1935. Architectural firms Pfeiffer Partners and Levin & Associates renovated and expanded the observatory in 2006. Since its inception, the Griffith Observatory has welcomed over 81 million visitors to view its extensive array of space and science-related displays. Visit the Griffith Observatory for its wide selection of science-themed exhibits, and space-related shows at its planetarium.
Highlights: The Roman Sundial, the Foucault Pendulum, the ‘Gunther Depths of Space: The Planets’ exhibition and a show at the Samuel Oschin Planetarium.
Free admission: Visit griffithobservatory.org
The Broad
Founded in 2015 by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, The Broad is a contemporary art museum located in downtown Los Angeles.
The 1,20,000-sq-ft museum building was conceptualised by well-known architecture firms Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Gensler. Every year, over 9,00,000 guests from around the world visit The Broad. The museum has two floors of gallery space and is also the headquarters of The Broad Art Foundation’s worldwide lending library, which lends artworks to art museums and galleries globally.
The Broad’s building features an avant-garde ‘veil-and-vault’ concept and houses over 2,000 postwar and contemporary artworks. The ‘veil’ is a unique honeycomb-like structure that engulfs the museum and allows filtered natural sunlight to enter the building’s display rooms. The ‘vault’ stores the part of the collection that is not on display. Instead of being a closed storage room, the ‘vault’ has windows showcasing the large stored collection to the guests. Alongside The Broad’s striking building is a public plaza that has a landscaped garden featuring 100-year-old Barouni olive trees.
Highlights: Artworks by Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, Robert Therrien, Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama.
Free admission: Visit thebroad.org
The Getty Center
Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Getty Center comprises a sprawling campus featuring modern buildings and verdant lawns. This museum houses artworks from medieval times to the present, which are displayed in extensive exhibition spaces and gardens. The Getty Center also offers sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and the Los Angeles skyline. Established in 1997, the museum was conceptualised by architect Richard Meier. Presently, the Getty Center is renowned for its large permanent collection of American, European and Asian paintings, sculptures and decorative arts. Guests can reach the museum by taking a tram to the hilltop, where they are greeted by many buildings arranged around the main plaza. The Getty Center’s buildings are covered with travertine square tiles, which are juxtaposed by curved architectural elements. Furthermore, the museum’s built structures are surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens and feature plenty of natural sunlight. The Getty Center provides tours to visitors that want to learn more about its architecture.
Highlights: Artworks by Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt, Cardinale Seduto and Giacomo Manzù. Additionally, the Central Garden and the Cactus Garden are must-visits.
Free admission: Visit getty.edu
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) situated in the heart of Los Angeles opened in 1965. Presently, the LACMA is one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world, housing an extensive collection of over 1,42,000 global masterpieces. The museum comprises many interconnected contemporary buildings and a central plaza, which displays artist Chris Burden’s well-known cast iron street lamp installation known as ‘Urban Light’. Presently, LACMA is undergoing a $600 million expansion in the form of a new building by architect Peter Zumthor. This new construction will be known as the David Geffen Galleries and will be an S-shaped building, which curves around the existing museum buildings. The David Geffen Galleries is expected to be completed by 2023.
Highlights: Works by Chris Burden, Christian Marclay and David Hockney.
Entry: $25 a ticket for adults; Visit lacma.org