LACMA

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LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

Overview: Take a couple of days to enjoy Los Angeles’ finest museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, officially known as the LACMA. The LACMA is situated in the heart of L.A.’s cultural area, Miracle Mile, on Wilshire Blvd. It starts at Fairfax and its sprawling campus extends beyond Spaulding Ave. Do not miss the opportunity to visit this exceptional museum with Its sheer size, bold and lovely buildings and enormous volume of works.

The massive LACMA boasts over 100,000 art pieces on display, making it one of the largest museums in the United States. The works of the LACMA reach around the globe and spans the history of art from ancient times to the present.
The artwork of the LACMA is housed in seven different and unique buildings, each with its own theme.

– Starting from the west, the LACMA West building, which is under construction and renovation, will hold the Bonne Children’s Gallery.
– The Next to the LACMA West is the “Renzo Piano-designed” Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) which displays contemporary works from artists such as Andy Warhol and Andy Warhol. The exterior of the south side of the BCAM has a vibrant and long red escalator that will take you to the various floors. The BCAM also has a nice terrace from which you can view Hollywood.
– Cross the open-air BP Grand Entrance and you’ll enter the Ahmanson Building which holds African Art, European, costumes, textiles, unique home furnishings and much more.
– Make your way across the Ahmanson Building and you’ll be in the courtyard. Directly across is the Art of the Americas Building, which holds Latin American Art and the Art of the Ancient Americas as well as current American art. Of particular interest are the works purchased by Randolf Heart over the years and the armored battle gear.
– Just east of the Ahmanson Building is the Bing Theatre building. Here, there is a cafeteria, Plaza Cafe, which ranges from a few dollars to about $12.00.
– Across the courtyard from the Art of the Americas building, the Hammer building houses photography, Chinese and Korean Art and from January to March 1, 2009, the Vanity Fair exhibit is featured on the first floor of this building.

– Finally, next to the Hammer building is the Pavilion for Japanese Art, the most interesting and unique building at LACMA with its translucent panels.

The LACMA is aggressively acquiring works of art and quickly gaining a reputation for its contemporary works.

The current exhibit, Art of Two Germanys/Cold War Cultures runs from January through April 19, 2009. Located on the second floor of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum building, the Art of Two Germanys features strong and moving art – both traditional and new media – of East and West Germany in chronological order.

Location: 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Site: www.lacma.org
Ph: (323) 857-6000

Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs: 12pm – 8pm, Wed closed, Fri: 12pm – 9pm, Sat – Sun: 11am – 8pm

Cost: $12.00/adult, $8.00/seniors and students (18+), kids free. AAA members get a 20% discount. Also, free or voluntary donation after 5pm.

Accessibility: All the buildings at LACMA are wheelchair accessible with ground level entrances and elevators. For more help, contact (323) 857-6000.

Getting There: www.bigbluebus.com, www.metro.net, www.ladottransit.com