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  • 5.0 star rating
    1/14/2015
    1 check-in

    Um, it's free. Need I say more? Okay I'll say a bit more for the record...

    I went on a Sunday which was perfect. I'm not sure what their parking situation is, but if you go on a Sunday there is tons of metered parking right by the museum on all the little side streets.

    The exhibits can be viewed fairly quickly. I'd say you can check out this whole museum in about 2 hours or less. It's fun and something to do that's free :). And you can eat at one of the millions of local restaurants in Westwood after checking out all the art. Win-win!

  • 5.0 star rating
    10/12/2014

    Came here to watch the monks make the mandala. I was highly impressed. I really like the idea of special guests or events at the Hammer.

    Also saw the Give More Than You Take and Are You Real exhibits.

    I like the mix of traditional and modern art in the rest of the galleries.

    Came here on a Friday night and the courtyard was closed for preparation for a private event to take place the next day so I know we didn't see everything.

    Loud music was being played outside in the courtyard and there were lights being shined on the walls. The courtyard had more a nightclub feel than a museum. I'm not sure if they always do this or if it's special to Friday night. Very trendy.

    The museum shop was fun because many of the items for sale were displayed more like art exhibits than just stuck on shelves waiting to be purchased.

    I'm looking forward to new exhibits in the future! Love how it's free admission!

    (Check in at the front desk before walking to the galleries or they will stop you and ask you to check in).

  • 4.0 star rating
    9/30/2014
    1 check-in

    This museum should be taken to court and made liable for false advertisement.  There was not ONE hammer in the museum.  Not a penny hammer, not a finish hammer, ballpeen hammer, sledge hammer, jack hammer, or MC hammer in the entire place.  

    Oh, there was a lot of Art there.   Some great modern art. Some commentary art.  Some photography.  Some sculptures.  Some active exhibits.  There's a cool café that has wonderful food.  There's a staff that's helpful and provides some interesting commentary.  There's a great open courtyard where sometimes they put on events.  There's parking underneath that was pretty cheap.  There's a great museum shop. That shop even has cool stuff, not just the typical colorful books and miniature versions of exhibits. Things like Tshirts. Scarves.  Bags.  Photos.  Art Equipment.  Jewelry.     All kinds of cool stuff.

    But.
    However.
    Despite that.
    Despues.
    Just sayin'.
    Not. One. Hammer.
    Not one.  
    Not even a PICTURE of a Hammer.

    I asked the lady at the front for a refund.  But, she didn't speak my language, and kept saying "you didn't pay to get in, it's free".    I'm going back, and I'll take friends because there MUST be a hammer at the hammer museum!

  • 3.0 star rating
    6/26/2014

    Amazing what classy joints corporate money can buy & create at least by the looks of what was done for the Getty Museum on the Hill, Getty Villa di Papiri in Malibu, and the Hammer Museum at Westwood Village.  The Hammer is on prime property on Wilshire Boulevard just on the southern border of Westwood Village.

    The building itself from the outside is rather subdued, but the large foyer/reception space is dripping with thick premium white polished Carrera marble on the walls & for the staircase.  To display a sense of Noblesse Oblige to us peons who are searchers of art & culture, the Getty & Hammer Foundations will let you step into their Palais des Arts gratis.  Now I'm starting to sound rather cynical & sardonic....I'd like to thank Ms Glazer & Ms. Potter for making possible the free admission.

    All that must be paid is for parking on site if convenience trumps looking around the side streets for metered parking.

    Monday Closed
    Tuesday 11AM--8PM
    Wednesday 11AM--8PM
    Thursday 11AM--8PM
    Friday 11AM--8PM
    Saturday 11AM--5PM
    Sunday 11AM--5PM

    The museum is open every day, except Mondays, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.  

    Convenient parking is available under the Museum. Rates are $3 for the first three hours with validation at the Welcome Desk, and $1.50 for each additional 15 minutes. There is a $3 flat rate after 6PM on weekdays, and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. Parking for visitors with disabilities is provided on levels P1 and P3.

    Since the museum is open until 8pm Tuesday through Friday, one can opt for a $3.00 flat fee after 6pm which is a good deal considering forgetting to feed the meter constitutes a large fine. Just be sure to get your car out of the lot by 9pm when the gates close.  Also on Saturday, parking at the Museum from 11am to 5pm only involves paying a  total of $3.00. Not sure when you must leave the lot on the weekend.

    A group of us went to see the "Made in LA" exhibit which featured new up-&-coming artists based in Los Angeles.  These artists are rooted in the modern art tradition so that sometimes concepts, constructs, ideology, ideas personal & theoretical, etc. seem to be more important than the actual objets d'arts themselves.  

    The medium used by the various artists spans many forms of media from more traditional oils, wood, metal, etc. to electronic based visual & aural.  Of course, most of the art escaped me as to meaning & purpose, but I was glad to have experienced an exercise in sensory perceptions & possible stimulation of the cerebral cortex. To add a bit of spice to the mostly static exhibit, 3 dancers wearing yellow orange & one older breaded gentleman in coat & tie glided through the rooms & stopped to do a pas de quatre.

    The Hammer has about 3 large viewing rooms so even under leisurely viewing & seeing two videos, one concerning "Mama" and the other about US military veterans returning to "real" civilian life, one can complete the tour comfortably in under 2 hours.  If there is sensory overload, there is Ammo, a tastefully done restaurant that provides indoor as well as outdoor dining for a convenient break.  The menu can be seen on the Hammer website.

    Apparently, depending on the day, other cultural happenings such as movies, speakers, etc. can be seen & the schedule found again on their website.  When compared with the two Gettys which have one of the largest endowments in the world, the Hammer does lose some of its luster, but it is a pleasant space in which to view the arts.  Periodically checking the website, there may be a subject or topic that may appeal to you.  3+ Yelp stars for providing another cultural, artistic venue in LA.

  • 5.0 star rating
    12/26/2014
    1 check-in

    I absolutely LOVE the Hammer. We have been coming here for years to events and more recently to a private party. Their collection is unreal and I also love it when they have guest exhibits. You can also become a member as well I believe. Come and check it out. There is garage parking as well. Go on their website for upcoming events.

  • 5.0 star rating
    1/30/2015

    Best museum in LA!

  • 3.0 star rating
    4/8/2014
    1 check-in

    Despite having attended UCLA for my undergrad, I never managed a visit to the Hammer Museum. I've always wanted to go, but I just never got around to it. Now thanks to the generosity of two longtime benefactors, the Hammer Museum has eliminated their admission fee and become 100% free to the public. So how could I not go?! Dena O. and I finally made the drive out to Westwood last week to see the Hammer. They share a parking garage with the tenants of the building that they are in and parking is $3 for 3 hours with validation. A pretty good deal! Parking for the Hammer is on Level P4 and below.

    After we parked, we took the elevator up and walked into the lobby... where they have a gingerbread house. The lady behind the counter could not explain to us WHY there is a gingerbread house in the lobby, but she did tell us that a man took a bite out of one of the pieces so they had to re-do the house. Interesting... From the lobby you can also see part of their current "Take It or Leave It: Institution, Image, Ideology" exhibit. I liked the large writing on the wall, but that ended being the only part of that exhibit that I enjoyed. The rest of the exhibit was on the third floor and consisted of very odd pieces that Dena and I did not understand. There was wallpaper of a hanging black man, flyers stacked up on the floor, walking crutches piled in a square, old stuffed animals arranged on a table, stuffed "predators" covered in tar hung from a tree, a woman repeatedly yelling in a video... it was all just very bizarre to me. I guess I just don't "get" modern art? Who curated this exhibit?! The third floor also had "Hammer Projects: Andra Ursuta" which I also did not understand... and a nice gift shop which had random items and where our favourite section ended up being the children's section :P

    Thankfully the third floor also had "Tea and Morphine: Women in Paris, 1880 to 1914" which I liked a lot better. Hammer's permanent Armand Hammer Collection is also on the third floor and is nice to look at, despite being a pretty small collection. The Hammer also had several outdoor installations in addition to another Hammer Project by Nathaniel Mellors which was in a room on the second floor (courtyard level). The courtyard also has the museum cafe; we didn't look at the menu but the outdoor seating for the cafe looked nice. Could be a nice place to have a relaxing lunch outside on a nice summer day... Overall the museum itself seems nice but we did not enjoy the main exhibit at all and were therefore very glad we did not pay to visit this museum. I don't plan on making another visit here unless they host an exhibit that I really want to see...

  • 4.0 star rating
    7/12/2014
    1 check-in

    Let me point out some facts that will catch every Yelpers attention.

    --- MUSEUM IS FOR FREE ---
    --- PARKING IS ONLY $3 ---
    --- FUN TIME ---

    Alright, did this catch your attention? Yes? Then let me tell you more.

    My friend and I came here for the World Cup 2014...huh what? YES. They showed it LIVE on the museum's own theater and the room next to the theater. In the other room you can bring your own food and drinks to enjoy the game. Very smart for the museum do advertisment.

    After the game (poor Brazil not even got 3rd. Netherland beat the shit out of them lol) we enjoyed the museum. I CAN SAY, FOR A MUSEUM, THIS WAS REALLY FUN. Usually you educate yourself and having a great time seeing some art. Besides having a restaurant there, you can play ping pong and see a lot of contemporary art. Some are interactive. I really wouldn't say the they have the worlds greatest art, but they do have some new, modern and recent art which you can maybe relate to.

    All in all I had a great time here. And this is what's most important right?

  • 4.0 star rating
    10/5/2014
    1 check-in

    There's always something interesting to see at the Hammer, and now that there's a ping pong table upstairs, I'm even more enamored.  What a great way to spend a couple of hours without spending a dime.

  • 5.0 star rating
    7/31/2014
    1 check-in

    A unique space full of art to make you think - plenty of opportunity to express the creative juices that exude from this place.

    Amazing that it is free, so glad I finally went! Definitely worth the trip.

  • 4.0 star rating
    8/25/2014
    1 check-in

    I'm giving it four stars because it's free, but I would really give this three and a half stars if I could. The thing is that I just wasn't that impressed by the design of the building, and I didn't think there was enough art in it.

    I would say if you're in the area and aren't sure what to do and like art, you should take a quick look inside. Parking is cheap, it has a lot of open space ( I like the area outside the best) and some of the art pieces are quite interesting.

    Don't expect to see a lot here though and don't come on a Monday because you'll find that it is closed.

    Overall a nice free art museum.

  • 4.0 star rating
    3/20/2014
    2 check-ins

    Admission is now free for the general public -- not just UCLA students. What a steal ;)

    I have a general love for museums, especially ones where I can appreciate all forms of artwork.

    One of the exhibits I saw was the Tea & Morphine exhibit from the Elisabeth Dean collection (who knew there was such "modern" art like graphic design in the 1890s??) Definitely learned a lot about Parisian society and feminine symbols during that era. The permanent Hammer collection has a few pieces of artwork from well-known artists like Rembrandt, van Gough, & Monet too.

    The exhibits are all located on the second floor, and you can definitely make your way through all of the exhibits in under 3 hours, unless you're really into the listening audio exhibits. My friend & I also attended the 'Mindful Awareness' program (it's a weekly thing) and did some mindful meditating for about 20 minutes before we decided it wasn't our thing. But the room was packed so if you want to check it out, come to the theater on time.  Check out the Hammer's events & programs page on their website for more updates on things you can attend. Once again, it's FREE so why not take advantage of it?

    Other things to note:
    -It's $3 to park for the first 3 hours (must get your ticket validated!)
    -No photography for the pieces with the 'no photography' image next to the exhibit information. Aside from that, the museum workers won't say anything if you snap a picture once in a while.
    -The museum guards are friendly and will let you in on some upcoming events if you just ask.

    Will definitely make sure to come back to the Hammer when some new exhibits come up!

  • 3.0 star rating
    8/30/2014
    1 check-in

    I like to think that I love museums but this museum made me reconsider...

    As a UCLA student, i feel like a visit to the Hammer Museum is a must-do! Love that it's free and walking distance from school, but unfortunately, it was hard for me to appreciate the exhibits. I didn't understand a lot of the artwork (but I guess I'm not very deep....) I did like the pile of candy though. (Edible art, yay)

    Maybe I'll return sometime and give the museum another try alone/ in a smaller group. :-) +1 star because it's free.

  • 4.0 star rating
    7/15/2014
    1 check-in

    The Hammer is one of those landmarks of L.A. Not only do they have an ever-evolving display of art exhibits, they also show art-orientated films, and have live music events.

    At the Hammer you used to have to pay everyday. Then, it was free on Thursdays. Now, it is free all the time. What more can you ask for?

    A Great Museum!

    Highly Recommended !!!

  • 1.0 star rating
    6/22/2014

    Armand Hammer created the West Coast equivalent of the Frick collection. It is now hidden in some vault while the entire museum is taken over by mostly talentless locals.

    To be fair, Jennifer Moon is a good artist with a great mind. While admission was free, it was not even worth the $3 for parking.

  • 5.0 star rating
    8/11/2014

    They have interesting exhibits rotating through and the restaurant downstairs is great.

    Really enjoy the high quality / open feel of the museum and their modern exhibits that come through.

    Its great to spend a couple hours here, maybe pick up some ping pong on the 2nd floor.

    If you feel like exploring, this museum is right in the heart of Westwood village and next to restaurants Napa Valley Grill, Palominos, and Skylight gardens among others.

  • 5.0 star rating
    7/28/2014
    3 check-ins

    I've been here many times before but the Hammer's really opened my eyes with the Made in LA exhibit. I wouldn't take the kids. There are a lot of short films that are very contemporary in nature and even I was a bit overwhelmed. With that said, I'll keep checking out their exhibits and I look forward to attending one of their music Thursday events soon.

  • 3.0 star rating
    7/27/2014

    I suppose this is an average score since the museum itself deserves five stars and the current exhibit, Made in LA 2014, deserves one. The are a couple of decent pieces and one excellent piece by Jennifer Moon, but overall, this grouping does not show the kinds of maturity and depth I enjoy. If you really want to see what artists in LA are doing hit the Brewery when it's open to visitors or Bergamot Station or Wack-O by Sunset Junction any number of the cool galleries in town.  Of course this is only one man's opinion and I'm sure many would beg to differ.

    i will say this, the Tony Green room shows video images of gay male S&M that I could absolutely have done without.  Much of the show had a distinct gay influence, not that there's anything wrong with that, but these images will never leave me and putting them in my head under the guise of art was just plain uncool. It's like the curator was trying to one up LACMA's  Mapplethorpe mini-gallery.  Just a warning to those of similar sensitivities.

    Meanwhile, I really like the facility and the location and I look forward to visiting again when the Hammer's collection is placed back on display (it was removed for this show).

  • 4.0 star rating
    1/22/2014
    1 check-in

    Compact museum on the UCLA campus with some interesting exhibits from time to time and a modest historical European collection. The courtyard in the middle is a nice, tree-lined place to grab a cup of coffee, and with fast, free wi-fi, you can also plug in, study, or get some work done.

  • 2.0 star rating
    11/21/2014

    If you are in Westwood and a serious art lover, try to avoid the Hammer Museum. L.A., despite its rep for the plastic and less cerebral, has some wonderful art, namely the L.A. County Museum of Art, The Huntington Library, Getty, and Getty Villa; but this display is more like a roadside attraction.

    The main show when I was there in October, 2013 was "Forrest Bess: Seeing Things Invisible." A self-professed "visionary" and modern day "Sibyl," this artist struggled with mental illness his whole life, and it shows. The artist's posthumous website, forrestbess.org, declares his "imagery formed a blueprint for an ideal human state, with potential to realize mankind of suffering and death." It didn't save me. The website itself admits Bess was untrained in medicine and psychology and yet he invented his own theories on each. Let's look at some...

    Bess believed in universal archetypes, such as pictorial imagery the Australian Aboriginals used. Fair enough, yet in "Untitled (No. 40)" he created his own icons such as:  a circle = hole; a three dimensional triangle/tent = to stretch; a tall isosceles triangle = to cut deep. He associated these with his own bodily transformation, which included two painful self-performed surgeries toward that end. Nuff said.

    I found the paintings primitive and raw. In the hands of aboriginal people they would have worked, but in the case of a twentieth century Americans who worked with the Abstract Expressionists, they are lacking in depth. And Bess's meanings are usually lost on too personal iconography.

    At the same time "James Welling: Monograph" was showing, which was composed of mostly uninspired photos of machine shops, dumpster, florescent light fixture, and that ilk. The abstractions were pure knock-offs of Mark Rothko, and the landscapes were in my mind juvenile. In one the artist inscribed the time and date on the scene's grass - normally not done in art. Some of the portraits were off too, such as one of three people looking discomfited and staged and not revealing of their psyches. Photograms of Welling's hands impart the sense of a child intrigued by his own hands in motion. Round it off with a video of a man chronically muffling the camera with his paws for something out of grade school.

    If you take it one exhibit at a time, you may not make the case against the Hammer; but, as a whole the halls exude a sense of a kind of cabinet of curiosities with sexy images for the sake of being sexy,  violence and the grotesque, and the flashy and tawdry. No wonder Johnny Carson used to make fun of it.

    And, if you don't like the art, you can always go into the hallway, where a ping pong table waits for you in the "rec room." I guess it's art - cum entertainment. No thank you.

  • 5.0 star rating
    11/5/2014

    Been here many X2 times (exhibits, events, film fests, even a PattiSmith gig!) but compelled to review/give it 5 stars only now - since tis FREE entrance thnx to EliBroad saying that his new museum will be free for all!! Came here last last Sunday for the fantastic exhibitions - RobertHeinecken and JimHodges. GO NOW!!

  • 3.0 star rating
    5/17/2014
    2 check-ins

    Free and worth every penny.  Depending on the exhibit, this definitely isn't the most exciting museum in L.A. but it's definitely worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood.  Parking on the weekend is only $3 so it may be cheaper to park here than many other place in Westwood.

  • 5.0 star rating
    7/11/2014

    I've been going to UCLA for two years, and it took me all that time to get to the Hammer Museum.

    What am I, stupid? I can't believe I haven't made this place a priority. What could I be doing? Studying or something?

    Nah, but I decided to come here after work and check it out. After all, I love art, and I especially love modern art...It's the message, it's the feel, it's the vibe, it's the story. It's art. It's just great.

    Even if you don't like modern art, just give it a shot. It may open your eyes. You may love it, you may hate it, but that's art. Sometimes artists don't necessarily make it for the viewers; sometimes they make it for themselves. It can be a point in their life, a milestone, something to get them along...It's fun to speculate, and it's fun to analyze.

    More concretely speaking, I love that the museum is free. That alone should sway you. Parking is $3, but for me, that was worth it--garage parking with plenty of spaces and none of the metered, parallel parking junk you're liable to face in crowded Westwood.

    Entering, you see beautiful wood paneling and wide, vaulted ceilings with various displays. The bottom courtyard area is beautiful--there's a little classy place there where they're serving refreshments like wine, and it seems like a great place to take someone special. Giant, tall bamboo cover the sky over a brightly splashed stage, where I imagine performances can sometimes take place. Loved wood benches sprinkle the courtyard like fine gingerbread, and it is so nice to take in the Westwood air and just enjoy the area.

    A nice docent of some sorts is right there, so you can feel free to ask questions. Everyone working there is very fashionable, very trendy, kind of like they came from the art themselves. I like that.

    Going upstairs, you get to see all the galleries. These change somewhat over time, so I won't go into detail about them. However, you'll see every form of art on every medium imaginable; some are extremely surreal, some are extremely disturbing, and some are just really beautiful. Guards are in every single room watching your every move, but they're nice; they acknowledge you, and I asked if I could take pictures, and they all said yes.

    But wow, maybe I went at a good time, but being virtually alone in those galleries with just the art to take in...That's special. You don't get that too often.

    I went into the gift shop afterwards. Some things are pretty expensive, but did you expect different or something? However, they had a ton of books on sale, and they were worth going through. I bought some really cheap postcards on sale; it came out to like $2.00 for four postcards. What a steal. The fashionable Asian cashier woman was really nice, by the way--hello, if you're reading this! Okay, I don't know why I wrote that.

    Anyways, maybe I'm just up on the art...Because it was beautiful. Please come here.

  • 4.0 star rating
    1/3/2015
    1 check-in

    Free admission. We were able to see the. Exhibits in one hour, some contemporary art. There are several Van Gogh and Monet's. The museum store has a nice variety of books and artistic jewelry.

  • 4.0 star rating
    8/7/2014

    I've been to the Hammer a few times while attending UCLA. It's a pretty cool
    Museum. They host events very often, which are pretty cool and almost always free. I signed up on their evens newsletter, comes in handy. They have a variety of exhibits. Definitely an LA landmark, you have to go at least once.

  • 5.0 star rating
    2/9/2013
    1 check-in

    For Thursday nights only: it's free. That's worth 5 stars for me. So you know that hunky actor Armie Hammer (The Social Network, etc..) well his grandfather was a baller oil tycoon and connected to the LA HQ in Westwood is this amazing art space with his private collection along with rotating works of art and a great little atrium/outdoor space/cafe in the middle perfect for sitting and hangin' which is exactly what we did before we toured some of the galleries.

    The art includes works from Renaut and many other artists I don't remember. This particular evening it was way more laid back than lets say the MoMa or the Met as in no one was really around. The security guards were present but not looming and, when I say no one was really there, I really mean only 20 other visitors but still, for the artwork presented and its location in downtown Westwood with free entry, it's a pretty awesome deal; definitely a must stop on a Thursday.

    Oh and for those with children, they have a kiddie corner care where your kids can do some arty stuff while you enjoy an hour or so touring the space and being adult like solo! Or pro tip: do what I would most likely do, sneak off and down some wine and enjoy a meal at the cafe. Yes, thank the lord I don't have kids.

  • 4.0 star rating
    7/22/2014
    Listed in Culture Vultures

    I often go there because it is free admission and I am a lover of Gustave.
    When I am directly facing his real work, I can feel deep passion and sensitivity.
    Although Hammer is a small place,  I can also feel some new ideas and flow of art.
    I like to feel their unique philosophy and new perspectives.
    Since there is free Wi-Fi, I some time sit in the middle of garden and read a book.
    Cafe is fancy and serves good tea (at least it is my taste).

  • 5.0 star rating
    7/7/2014

    Came here for a Cosplay Fashion Show and a Pokemon Tournament. This place is a great hangout spot. theirs a subway across the street. Free wifi and places all over this place to charge your devices(3ds for me). The restrooms were clean and staff were friendly. Now the reason I say its a good hangout place is because I was in a conner charging my 3ds and looked around. their was a stage performance going on and I noticed that their were alot of people doing different things(Art,Tournament,Yoga at some point) and I didn't even go upstairs or look at alot of art. The ONLY bad thing I can even say about this palce is that its somewhat far from were I live.

  • 5.0 star rating
    1/14/2014
    1 check-in

    If you're a UCLA student, this is the BEST study spot in Westwood.

    --Its free (if you're a UCLA student)
    --Its SUPER quiet because its a museum.
    --It has FREE WIFI, which is probably more reliable than your apartment wifi.
    --It has outlets for you to camp there with your laptop!
    --It has clean bathrooms!
    --It has a cute cafe for all your caffeine needs!
    --If you need a study break, go to one of the exhibits to get a new perspective and suck in the genius behind the beauty.

    Who wouldn't want to surround themselves with ingenuity and beauty and tranquility while they are studying!?

  • 4.0 star rating
    5/23/2014
    1 check-in

    Overall, the museum is good. Finally, free admission, $3 flat parking fee (we went on a Sat) and ample parking spaces. The current exhibits IMHO should be rated PG-18.  I had the hardest time understanding some of the exhibits. However, this does not deter me in coming back to see future exhibits.

  • 1.0 star rating
    7/29/2014

    Beautiful building, but junky "art" inside. Disappointing tour with nothing, yes nothing, interesting. Save your time and linger at The Getty. I'm certain there are more talented artists in LA than what was offered during our visit.

  • 5.0 star rating
    4/3/2014

    Well although traffic can be a little crazy for a first timer. I had a great time! I went solo cholo but the fact that you can see art so beautiful for free is amazing.  Oh and I'm not a student so FYI it's free for everyone. Park in museums garage.

  • 3.0 star rating
    7/17/2014

    This museum is usually wonderful but at the moment they have an exhibit of "art" - and I use that term loosely - called "Made in L.A." I used to live in L.A. and for years I told my child and husband about the beautiful and brilliant Van Gogh they had.  We finally got back to the Armand Hammer museum yesterday and there were a bunch of exhibits that were inappropriate to take a child to see.  One that she was able to view was an exhibit made of packing material. Remember the manila paper that your book was sent in from Amazon? Well, that's art as long as you crumple it up and add whole lot of packing tape.  The museum workers said the exhibit was presenting artists who normally are underrepresented in the art world. Well, there's a reason for that -not everything is art!

  • 3.0 star rating
    7/14/2013
    1 check-in

    My mother was in town and wanted to go see an art gallery in LA. Well, the Hammer Museum is the closest one to where I live, so we drove into Westwood to see what it had to offer.

    For a Saturday afternoon, the museum was quite empty. I expected to see a lot more people, but instead there were just security guards watching us like hawks in every room. It was kind of uncomfortable and made us rush through things a little. And although the front desk okayed my mother's "purse" (more like a tiny backpack) we still had to explain to a few security guards that "they said we could bring it in."

    We really enjoyed the actual Armand Hammer collection. What a wonderful collection of paintings! There are works by Degas, Moreau, Monet, van Gogh (my absolute favorite), and I believe a few Picasso's. We spent a lot of time in that room just gawking at the paintings.

    The Artschwager exhibition confused us. Maybe I don't get modern art (okay, I know I don't get modern art). But it was interesting seeing the artist's "blps" embodied in all sorts of mediums, including architecture.

    We loved the A. Quincy Jones exhibition. He was a big wig in the Eichler movement, and we enjoyed seeing the plans and production of many of the houses and neighborhoods where I grew up. It was odd looking at pictures of places we've been to numerous times, cerca 1960. I've never been a huge fan of Eichlers, but I can appreciate the simplicity and affordability.

    I think once is enough for this museum (unless a really amazing exhibition rolls through), but I'm glad we went.

  • 5.0 star rating
    4/13/2013

    Last December, we enjoyed our first visit to the Hammer to see their impressive permanent works on exhibit as well as a special viewing of Gustave Moreau's excruciatingly detailed "Salome Dancing Before Herod" with related paintings, drafts, and drawings. Huge thanks to the people at the Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Culture Center of UCLA, better known as the Hammer Museum, for bringing such exciting works, like the pieces from the Moreau exhibit, to L.A. for residents to see and be inspired by!

    For the Hammer's latest temporary installations, check out this page hammer.ucla.edu/exhibiti…, then click on the official website linked here yelp.com/events/los-ange… to look for a printable 2-for-1 admission coupon to the Hammer Museum you can use during Discover LA Tourism's "Discover the Arts in Los Angeles: History, Culture, Science and More" campaign. With rotating local exhibits, permanent classics on display, lectures, workshops, tours, readings, screenings, concerts, family friendly events, $3 parking, free admission Thursdays, and one of the city's best museum stores, there are plenty of reasons to go and support the Hammer any time of the week!

    Since our day at the museum, I've signed up for email updates, and earlier today, I received an intriguing one asking for supporters' votes to kickstart an urban renewal project in Westwood Village. According to this email, the Hammer has applied for a competitive grant from LA2050.org to revitalize the Village, but they need our votes in order to win it. If granted, the money will help the Hammer to fill Westwood's vacant storefronts with a curated exhibition of locally produced art, crafts, goods, and services. The hope for this project is that it will spark regional creative activity, inject new life into the retail vicinity, and leave positive, long lasting effects on both the community and L.A. at large.

    If you're interested in voting or learning more, go to myla2050.maker.good.is/p…, join GOOD, and click on the Vote button before 12PM on April 17th, 2013, so that the Hammer Museum can get the funds they need to help L.A. create a future, beginning in Westwood Village, where local development is fueled and strengthened by the arts - and you!

    --
    UPDATE 5-8-2013: Out of 279 submissions, the Hammer Museum is one of 10 - $100,000 winners in the My LA2050 challenge!

  • 4.0 star rating
    7/9/2013
    1 check-in
    Listed in Yelp 100 Challenge

    What a great place to spend an afternoon.  The gallerys are arrange around a central courtyard, which would be a great place to isolate yourself for a time from the fanatic things going on out side or just meet friends.  The courtyard of course comes with a nice cafe.  

    Better yet pay the very reasonable $10 to see the exhibits, only $5 if you are a teacher or a student.  Bring your id!  The collection has a lot of fascinating pieces, I especially loved the van Gough, and it still fascinates me how such things can end up in a private collection but utterly greatfull that this collection is shared with all of us.  Watch out for temporary exhibits, which can be a real treat.  While I was there I truly enjoyed the richard artschwagner exhibit.  The textures were a fascinating dimension and learning of the discontinuation of the art's favorite wall board and his solution was an intriguing story.

  • 2.0 star rating
    2/11/2014

    What would Armand Hammer think of this Museum that bares his name?  Architecturally stunning, there seems to be little inside that stands out.  There are just two of his many collections on permanent exhibit and not much else.
      We were hoping his vast or even a few of the treasured "eggs" would be displayed, but what we saw was empty rooms and a few excuses for "creative" art that disappointed this former Art Institute of Chicago scholarship recipient.
      Thank goodness we were able to take advantage of the Hammer Museum's first Thursday free admission otherwise I'd asked for a refund!

    UPDATE 3/1/14 - FREE ADMISSION now in effect.  I was right!

    Join our LA Trip, click on my photo.    Day 2 of 9.   Start at 2/10/14.

  • 5.0 star rating
    7/14/2014
    1 check-in

    This is an awesome artsy museum with a grand open-air courtyard. There are benches surrounding trees in the open-air court, reminiscent of Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley. I came for a free concert, and although the wait in line was horrendous (about 1.5 hours), it was worth it. The music was great, ambiance was chill and joyous, and the crowd was friendly (although there was an Asian female bartender who was a bit snappy with me... haha). Ping pong tables were around for people to play, as well as large set of block pieces, which reminded me of Lincoln logs from my youth. It was fun seeing a bunch of adults (myself included) build things with these block pieces: a nice respite from the musical activities. Overall it's a great venue for late night shows, and I would definitely go again, especially with the abundance of restaurants open late at night for food in the surrounding area.

  • 5.0 star rating
    7/18/2014

    Major props to this museum for the Made in LA exhibit and the awesomeeeeeeee Thursday night events being held currently. Very impressed at the diversity within the art, music, and people.

  • 5.0 star rating
    4/4/2013

    I had driven by the Hammer museum often and finally made plans to go this past Easter Sunday.  It was a perfect time to go, not many people and plenty of time to roam freely around on the two levels.

    Parking is a flat $ 3.00 at least it was on Sunday.  When you walk in there's the admission desk and some exhibit space on the first floor as well as a nice open atrium area where the restaurant/cafe is and where the latest Trisha Brown: Floor of the Forest live dance performance occurs.

    The dance performance to be honest was rather anticlimactic.  Two dancers (perhaps there were less because it was Easter) weave in and out of a canopy made of ropes and clothing.  Though the clothing is vibrant in color, the actual piece is rather boring.  Perhaps I expected a more acrobatic performance.  

    We saw an exhibit by Dara Friedman featuring a video on loop of various performances by dancers both professional and amateur.  The common theme as written in the program is the dancer's oblivious relationship to the public and overall confidence in their movement whether fluid or static.  Some dancers perform belly dancing, others hip hop, one even danced nude in a parking lot.  

    Upstairs my favorite exhibit was Llyn Foulkes.  What a strange, angsty but brilliant artist he is.  His "Bloody Head" works were on display as well as his signature anti-Disney works.  He beautifully creates mixed media pieces often with blatant political messages.  I was fascinated by the size and scope of many of his works.  "In Memory of Saint Vincent School" employs an abandoned chair from a burnt down school in Compton.  No photographs allowed as I learned though the work is imprinted in my mind forever.

    The museum is accessible and walkable in a reasonable amount of time.  It doesn't feel like an overwhelming task to take in all of the collections and exhibits.

    For $ 10 it's cheaper than most museums.  I will be back soon!