Art Lover’s Guide to Los Angeles

Start your survey of art museums in Los Angeles with the biggest. Presiding over Wilshire Boulevard’s Miracle Mile since 1965, ever-expanding LACMA holds a collection of more than 150,000 works of art spanning some 6,000 years, encompassing everything from ancient Greek ceramics to fashion to contemporary Islamic art. Revolving exhibitions reflect local identities as well as global concerns, while the museum’s exterior space includes one of the city’s most recognizable works of public art, Chris Burden’s grove of cast iron street lamps titled Urban Light.

Follow the crowds of tourists on downtown’s South Grand Avenue, and they’ll lead you straight into one of the world’s finest collections of postwar and contemporary art. Since its opening in 2015, the Broad has made its treasury of Warhols, Basquiats, and Lichtensteins free to the public, housed within an architectural marvel by the superstar firm of Diller Scofiedo + Renfro. Make a reservation to immerse yourself in Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room–The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away.

An essential stop on art tours of Los Angeles, the Getty Center combines a world-class art museum with a modernist hilltop setting that makes the most of Southern California’s glorious light and climate. Wander the galleries to admire the Greek and Roman antiquities, French decorative art collected by oil magnate J. Paul Getty, paintings from Monet and Turner, and robust collections of photography and illuminated manuscripts. Spend a contemplative moment in artist Robert Irwin’s Central Garden, and consider taking a private tour to deepen your art history knowledge. Best of all, admission is free.

If you can’t get enough of the antiquities at the Getty Center, head over to its sister institution in Pacific Palisades for an entire museum dedicated to ancient Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art. To house his extensive collection, J. Paul Getty commissioned a faithful reconstruction of an ancient Herculaneum estate with sumptuous gardens and fountains. Since opening to the public in 1974, the Getty Villa has provided visitors with a truly immersive art history experience, including performances of plays by Sophocles and Euripides in the museum’s amphitheater.

It can be hard to get a handle on the sprawling ecosystem of Los Angeles art galleries, but downtown’s Arts District offers a rare, walkable concentration of art world energy. Evolving from the illegal galleries and studios carved out of abandoned industrial spaces in the 1970s, the neighborhood holds a crucial place in Los Angeles art history while hosting newer international commercial galleries like Hauser & Wirth. Whether touring the neighborhood with a guide or exploring on your own, don’t miss homegrown institutions like Cirrus Gallery and Luis de Jesus, and keep an eye out for Robert Vargas’ gigantic street murals.

Tucked away just a few blocks from the shops and restaurants of Old Town Pasadena, the Norton Simon Museum boasts an astonishing array of masterpieces in an intimate setting. Incorporating the private collection of its namesake industrialist, the museum is especially strong in its exhibition of European paintings, including major works by Van Gogh, Degas, and Rembrandt. On the lower floor, you’ll find paintings and sculptures from South and Southeast Asia, while Rodin’s Burghers of Calais presides over the lush sculpture garden.

Right across Wilshire Boulevard from LACMA, Craft Contemporary beckons with its vibrant yellow and black storefront. Formerly known as the Craft & Folk Art Museum, the revamped institution features contemporary art using craft techniques. The rotating exhibitions showcase local and international artists working in every medium, from textiles to ceramics. For a more hands-on experience, check out the museum’s workshops on techniques like upcycled weaving and glassblowing. Craft Contemporary’s shop is also a great place to pick up hand-crafted gifts from local artisans.

It began as a staid display of oil tycoon Armand Hammer’s collection of Old Masters, but the Hammer Museum has grown into a robust and influential player in contemporary art. Known for nurturing emerging artists and championing diverse voices, the UCLA–affiliated museum recently underwent an extensive renovation project to create a facility as ambitious and dynamic as the works it exhibits. And just like most of the other plutocrat-founded institutions on this list, the Hammer brings art to the masses with free daily admission.

Unfolding over half a mile along the LA River, The Great Wall of Los Angeles tells the story of California from prehistoric times through the 1960s. Muralist Judith F. Baca launched the project in 1974 through the Social and Public Art Center, enlisting more than 400 local children, community members, artists, and historians to help design and paint this monument to the underrepresented communities that shaped California's history. A paved path through the Tujunga Greenbelt allows you to take in the full sweep of the work, one of the largest murals in the world.