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Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Review

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Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

Address: 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, CA, 90036 | Map It
Phone: 323/857-6000
www.lacma.org

Category: Museums/Galleries
Location: Wilshire Boulevard, Museum Row, and Farmers Market

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Fodor's Review:

Serving as the focal point of the museum district along Wilshire Boulevard, LACMA's vast, encyclopedic collection of more than 100,000 objects dating from ancient times to the present is widely considered one of the most comprehensive in the western United States. Since opening in 1965 the museum has grown from three buildings to seven, stretching across a 20-acre campus. As part of an ambitious 10-year facelift plan that is becoming a work of art on its own, entitled "Transformation," the museum is on a mission to integrate the seven buildings and outdoor spaces into a coherent whole. Phase one began with the opening of the impressive Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) in early 2008. With three vast floors, BCAM's purpose is to more fully integrate contemporary art into LACMA's program and explore the interplay art of current times with that of the past.

The museum space is now making better use of its courtyard space, before merely a long walk from one building to the next, the setting now makes use of the adjacent park to provide tranquil places to sit and "take it all in," and an installment of Chris Burden's "Urban Light" project, that consists of 202 antique cast-iron lampposts from around Los Angeles, showcases the way the city designed street lamps to reflect the identity of each area. The playful exhibit beckons young and old alike to walk through their maze of towering light.

With rotating displays from its permanent collection, at any time it's possible to see items from LACMA's abundant holdings of works by leading Latin American artists including Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, prominent Southern California artists, collections of Islamic and European art, paintings by Henri Matisse and Rene Magritte, as well as works by Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky who taught at Germany's Bauhaus school in the 1920s, art representing the ancient civilizations of Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome, plus a vast costume and textiles collection dating back to the 16th century. American Art, as well as art from Latin America and special exhibitions are on view in the "Art of Americas" building.

The Pavilion for Japanese Art showcases scrolls, screens, drawings, paintings, textiles, and decorative arts from Japan; it's a particularly peaceful space, with natural light and a fountain on the ground floor that fills the building with the sound of flowing water. The Bing Center holds a research library, resource center, and film theater.

The Boone's Children's Gallery on the soon-to-be "transformed" LACMA West end maintains an art-making mission through classes, interactive displays, and brightly colored decor.

The museumorganizes special exhibitions and host major traveling shows. Temporary exhibits sometimes require tickets purchased in advance, so check the calendar ahead of time.

Cost: $12, free 2nd Tues. of month, after 5 policy: "pay what you wish"
Open: Mon., Tues., and Thurs. noon-8, Fri. noon-9, weekends 11-8

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