Art in LA

December 12, 2021 10:18 PM

Planning to spend the last weekend of February in Los Angeles with the goal of seeing art. What part of town should I stay in and what galleries, shows, events, and museums are open?

Really open regarding style etc: I would like to see a variety of visual arts over about 4 days. I probably will spend a half a day at a bigger museum - but I'm most interested in any kind of open studios, smaller galleries, or non-traditional venues.

Would like advice on the part of town it makes most sense for me to stay in and also any shows etc. Assume I am interested in an extremely broad set of styles and practices.

posted by latkes to Travel & Transportation around Los Angeles, CA (7 answers total)

LACMA and the Getty would be my two go-to museums. I'm sure you're already familiar with them but they really are great and worth mentioning -- and visiting -- again!
posted by smorgasbord at 10:43 PM on December 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

You should check out Bergamot Station in Santa Monica!
posted by pazazygeek at 7:16 AM on December 13, 2021

The broad is a fave, and Getty villa in pacific palisades is dreamy
posted by beignet at 8:33 AM on December 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

Art in a non-traditional venue: the abandoned zoo in Griffith Park. It's amazing to see zoo stone (fake stones made of concrete) up close in long-abandoned (1912-1966) elephant and lion enclosures and go in the zoo feeding pathways/tunnels, and lots of folk art (graffiti) on everything.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:12 AM on December 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

The Norton Simon museum in Pasadena (it's always in the background of the Rose Parade)
The Craft Contemporary (formerly Craft and Folk Art Museum) on Wilshire
The Museum of Jurassic Technology
These are flung all over LA so I can't really recommend a central place to stay. You will need a car or driver to get around.
posted by winesong at 10:26 AM on December 13, 2021

Staying downtown might make the most sense - then you're close to the Broad, MOCA, and the Arts District (and tons of great food). You could also check out Disney Concert Hall. And you'd be close to the freeways to take you to more far-flung locations.
posted by malhouse at 10:33 AM on December 13, 2021

I can't see what they'll have on in February, but the Hammer Museum at UCLA was a wonderful experience when I visited a number of years back - really fresh and interesting curation.

The Huntington contains multitudes: beautiful gardens, the library houses Octavia Butler's archives, and it's a pretty Rich People's House to wander around in.

There is some stunning architecture in/around LA - a favorite human-scale taste can be had walking the canals in Venice Beach.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 7:30 PM on December 14, 2021