Los Angeles County Museum of Art

1/16/2014

Love this museum! Great exhibits and gorgeous inside and outside. There is food and a bar and even outdoor music shows from time to time.

7/19/2013

Initially, I only planned on visiting the famous Urban Lights display out front for free but the girlfriend and I unexpectedly returned the next day to LACMA. Originally, we only planned on with the tar pits in front of the Page Museum but wandered over to LACMA.

At first we wandered outside, appreciating the sculptures and wonderfully mild weather. But the girlfriend begged me to buy tickets to go inside. I guess her pleading not only appealed to me but also to the bystanders. The elderly couple nearby secretly bought us tickets and surprised us with them. I could not believe the generosity of LAers. And this only enhanced our LACMA experience.

By wandering from building to building, I learned the artwork is divided somehow. Do not ask me how. I do know that the Japanese Art is separated from the European. And that is the extent of my knowledge. I do know that LACMA is huge and the few hours we were there was not enough time to fully look at each piece.

We lucked out on street parking, which was much cheaper than the parking lot. If I am ever in the area on a day with free general admission, I will definitely be back.

What I recommend:
-- bring your student ID for a discount - $10 instead of $15
-- look at the LACMA website for free days

10/30/2012 Updated review

I am an active member of LACMA.  For being a member, you get cute little perks like previewing an exhibit before it opens to the public.  There are a lot of members, so the previews are that exclusive, but it's nice to feel special every now and then.

Over the weekend, I took my bf and 7 of our friends to see the Stanley Kubrick exhibit.  It was a great display and I enjoyed the true art of his work.  The staff are very polite, the rooms are many and have a lot of cool things to look at.  It was an enchanting presentation and I learned a lot about Kubrick as an auteur (I learned that word at the museum).

We also went to see the big rock aka the Levitated Mass.  We were joking and saying the new Carsland at Disneyland was much more impressive than this.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder one may say.  It's sorta cool in my eyes.  Was it worth the $10 million spent on the whole project?  Meh...

The thing about LACMA is that there is way too much to see and there are a lot of events going on each week.  If you are an Angeleno, I strongly suggest getting a membership.  The last cool event I went to was a interview with Justin Bua and Darryl McDaniels aka DMC of Run DMC.  It was a really cool event thrown by Muse which is program at the museum catered to the younger museum enthusiasts.

10/26/2012

I really like coming here from time to time. They have great travelling exhibits, which you can check out on their website.  The permanent collection is just OK, nothing too impressive.  
The streetlights display is great, at first.  However, I used to go to the fitness club right across the street from it, and had a pleasure of enjoying these for about 1 hour 2-3 times a week... yes, people already tried all the thinkable and unthinkable poses for photos, challenge you to invent something new!

7/25/2012

Love, love, love the free Friday night Jazz concerts in the summer. Just pack up a picnic and head on out there to enjoy the sunset and some awesome music. It is a great place to just hang out, especially if you have kids or dogs. Everyone here is super friendly and it is just a wonderful environment.

The art collection at LACMA is good but I primarily enjoy visiting here for the ambiance not necessarily the art.

10/21/2011

Gorgeousssss light fixture piece outside LACMA is what you see in movies and people's profile pictures... because its spectacular! :]

anyway, I went here for the Tim Burton Exhibit, which was awesome and amazing and so much fun to go through. And it was worth the price.

I like LACMA, their exhibits are really interesting and fun.

12/31/2013

Fun a educational way to spend an afternoon.  I'm not a huge art guy, but the kids always have fun in the Children's Room painting and we try to get them to look at some of the art on exhibition.  Free memberships for kids = free entry for accompanying parents.  Awesome deal that will keep us coming back.

6/26/2013

My LA bestie is a LACMA member so she took the day off and we went to check out the Kubrick exhibit.

Wow! Kubrick is on my short list of great directors and "The Shining" is also up with on my favorite films list. So I couldn't believe how they filled so many rooms with all this Kubrick info. What I enjoyed most were the photos SK took as a journalist in the early part of his career. It's obvious he has a talent for composing images and this translated easily to the big screen. I learned more about SK's life and artistic process and there were cool tidbits of info about all of his movies. As a result, I had a better idea of how dedicated and passionate he was about film.

After the high of the Kubrick exhibit we went to hit up the rest of LACMA's collection. I have to remember that this is not a private museum so some of the permanent collections was just ok. But as a public museum they really put in an effort to make this museum accessible to many Los Angelenos who normally wouldn't be exposed to great art.

4/30/2013 Updated review

Be sure not to miss the Ultimate Outdoor lamp post light art display outside.  They're so beautiful to walk around at night here :)

5/24/2013

One of my favorite places in the whole world. The Broad Contemporary wing is my favorite. I love the fact that kids are free if you sign them up for NexGen (totally free) and for each child with a pass, one adult can accompany them for free. They also have free holiday Mondays for everyone (Memorial day, Labor Day, etc). I think Target sponsors those. Check out the museum's calendar, they have so many great program's for kids. There are even art camps! I would love to sign my kids up, but I live too far.

Plus, the LA Farmer's Market is a couple of blocks away, so you can stop off for a yummy lunch :)

6/24/2013

I love LACMA... It's a nice place to visit and stroll around. There is a lot to enjoy. It can get extremely crowded so that might drive you crazy when you want to take pictures. I definitely liked the future LA car show...

The only thing that bothered me... this guy was following us around telling us "not too close" when we were far from the art pieces... I guess it's one of those where one person ruined it for all and they get all paranoid if you're a good distance away.

9/8/2012

LACMA being Artsy hell yah! Never been inside of this museum, but just being outside checking out the row of Street Lamps, a Huge-Ass picture frame, a Gigantic Hair string of noodles are awesome camera picture takes!  There is a Gigantic stone ledge around the backside of the museum just be careful, don't splat!

But dammit! I want to go inside to checkout the "Metropolis" and when I see it,  I will be like the band Queen with both my arms pumped up in the air chanting " all we hear is radio ga ga!!! "

5/30/2013

I came here for some art and I was not disappoint. They've got a nice collection, and the security guards cracked me up while I was talking to them. They have a nice outside area to chill out in, and usually have a couple special exhibits going on it looks like. I went to see the Kubrick exhibit and I was pretty blown away. They had SO much stuff of his there from all of the movies and it was really in depth. The parking isn't bad either, you can get in on the street for a couple hours or there is a garage.

I've seen much better collections in other cities, but this was still a pretty great place and has a lot of character.

4/23/2012

A beautiful museum inside and out.

Was here during the Tim Burton exhibit - which was AWESOME. No photos the exhibit so none to share (except the entrance/exit) but definitely recommend it. I can't imagine what he's like in person... He has a wild imagination!

The rest of the LACMA was just as great. Wonderful, wide collection of art. Loved the modern contemporary pieces floor. And can't forget the Jeff Koons pieces and Andy Warhol!

Also, the surrounding land has been made into a wonderful park. Contemporary concrete 'lawn chairs' are scattered throughout, arranged with purpose and function. Conversations float as the palm trees sway in the breeze.

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• See all photos from Leah K. for Los Angeles County Museum of Art

1/25/2014

I love attending museums, and am perhaps spoiled when it comes to experiencing a good quality exhibit, having come from San Francisco.
And while I am in no way an art critic, All I can say is after attending LACMA today, that what gets passed off as art is questionable at best.
They have so much space (some 9 buildings) that in my opinion is just wasted. I did absolutely adore their Japanese netsuke exhibit, but of course, those involve true craftsmanship.  
The main allure however for the thousands of attendees seems to be the lamp posts and the spaghetti tubing (the latter being something just about anyone could make) All in all it was nice to have finally gone and was made better that the La Brea tar pits are right next door. But even if there were another free admittance day, I would never plan on going inside again. Maybe just to visit the lamp posts outside for photo ops like everyone else :P

7/6/2013

When we first got to LACMA , we found parking relatively easily in one of the various parking lots nearby :) gorgeous area with nearby museums as well . The scenery is breathtaking with many trees and architecture however also pretty confusing because there are so many buildings with different museum entrances ! We had fun exploring and walking around though :) LACMA has many interesting exhibits with different artists portrayed. Ranging from historical to contemporary to oriental , there is an array of artwork just waiting for people to
See . The area is very cute with cafes, stores , restaurants and bars and just a very hipster / artsy area to be in . It is also extremely fun to take pictures with the actual artwork ( especially at the contemporary side ) . Definetly recommend this place , and will Definetly come again

9/30/2012

Likes: The lights outside are pretty and a great place to bring friends to take photos and play around.  Parking is easy to find on the opposite side of the street.

Dislikes: in the early evening you'll find kids running around so watch out for them

6/30/2012

I adore the LACMA.

I moved away from Los Angeles a few years ago, and still decided to get a membership, we enjoy visiting that often.

First, they have a huge collection, always with a few new, fresh exhibits, but the experience is never overwhelming. They're divided it up into bite size pieces in different buildings about the campus, so there's a leisurely feel to strolling about the beautiful grounds, entering a building and taking in that collection, then strolling about for the next.

They have some truly phenomenal works in their permanent collections, some of my favorites on this last trip being Chagall, Picasso, Juarez and Diego Rivera.

If you go to art museums for the experience of it.. the strolling through washes of emotions, the meditation of art.. the LACMA is exquisitely peaceful, understated and perfect for it.

I highly recommend the membership, which gives you free admission for a year, but also gives you free parking. But a little secret is that there's free 2 hour street parking within 1 block of the museum as well.

9/26/2012

I had a good time at LACMA just relaxing on a Sunday. While walking from building to building, there's a lot to appreciate if you are into art. I wish they would have more descriptions regarding the art work and exhibits rather then just a name and how LACMA acquired the piece.

$15/day for non-members, students & members are $10 I think?
$10 parking -- serious?

3/31/2013

I absolutely adore this museum.

I think there is a ton to do, and always an amazing exhibit! I recently went to the Stanley Kubrick exhibit because i am a huge fan of his films, and was blown away by how the exhibit was displayed. I absolutely love it!!! All the cool props from the movie really blew my mind.

I also am a huge fan of robert mapplethorpe and they have a great selection of some of his intimate works although I would have loved to see some more of him and Patti smith!

2/18/2014

i went there last Saturday , it was amazing. everybody suppose to see this exhibits.
it 's a very good experience.

5/31/2012 Updated review

To come here requires asking this: Do you have the time? LACMA is awesome and it's not a place to rush through. If you have 2 hours and just want to rush through it you're cheating yourself. Don't do it, wait until you can give it enough time to enjoy it. And enjoy it you will as there's literally something for everyone here. From bronze sculpture to 450 BC gold coins, Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup prints to vintage L.A. street lamps (Chris Burden's Urban Light), Monet paintings to Rodin sculptures, and on and on it goes. A special mention must be made of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum. Another Chris Burden project, Metropolis II inside BCAM literally stopped me in my tracks, destroyed my schedule for the rest of the day and left me with a smile from ear to ear.

If you're on the fence about coming here, kick yourself off that fence and go. A little review on here does not do this place justice. This isn't just an L.A. crown jewel, this is one of the better things to see in America, IMHO.

Getting there: From I-10 / Santa Monica Freeway exit at Fairfax Blvd. Expect stop and go traffic to make it the 2 miles to Wilshire Blvd. And while they have valet parking their parking garage is nice, and it's only $10 which you can pay for when you buy your tickets. The county has done a reasonable job of signing the way to the museums which is helpful as GPS on Android devices had some trouble getting here for some reason.

I highly, highly recommend visiting LACMA and I will be back. Hands down, without question LACMA is the best art museum I have ever stepped foot inside of. Let me put it this way, I would gladly make the 4 hour drive from Las Vegas just to visit LACMA by itself. Yes, it's that good.

3/27/2012

I'm a fan of Ancient Egyptian art and contemporary art so I had to come here during my visit to Los Angeles..

My boyfriend and I were with his cousins and luckily for them, they got in free because 1) one of them were under 18 and students under 18 get in free.. it's there way of spreading art to the youth (I wish San Francisco had that option for us..) and 2) if it's 5PM and you're a Southern California residence with ID. For my boyfriend and I, think it was $10 each if you're a student, but parking is also another $10..

Anyway, we went to every building, I believe..

The first building we went to was the contemporary arts building. I've studied Jeff Koons so it was nice to see his art in real time. It was also nice to actually see Andy Warhol for the first time. But my favorites pieces were by John Baldessari, hands down. You have to really go to the museum to interpret the art pieces because every individual is different and a review won't do it justice.

Ok, the elevator ride was cool, but it would've been better if they made it entirely glass so you could see Barbara Kruger's art piece while taking the elevator up and down the building.

We saw the California architecture building from the 1960s, I believe, I could be wrong. Not my cup of tea but I have friends who would have loved it. Though, I did like how they incorporated the fashions of that zeitgeist.

Saw the renaissance galleries, not my cup of tea either.. but in the same building were the Egyptian art. Ok, let me tell you. I had no patience to go through all the galleries to get there so I asked one of the gallery watchers to assist me. It took me three times to ask him because he couldn't hear me, I didn't want to scream 'cause we were in a museum, but the third time I had to.. People probably thought I was crazy but the man couldn't hear! Anyway, he directed me.

The Egyptian collection was small, it was only one gallery. But it's definitely worth checking out. I forgot but they actually have Egyptian capitols in the gallery too which was pretty cool 'cause it played a role as a gallery piece but also served well as a theme.

There's a ton of art pieces outside of the museum like the lamp posts or the "spaghetti" walk-through, not exactly sure what it's called, haha.

I wish I could've came to see the Tim Burton exhibition, but that's something I'll wait to come to the Oakland Museum or maybe SFMOMA.

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  Andy Warhol

  Andy Warhol
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  Jeff Koons

  Jeff Koons
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  John Baldessari

  John Baldessari

7/31/2013

I love this place they always have really hip installations like Carvagio, Van Gogh and many more!
They had a Tim Burton exhibit that I missed! I still am kicking myself for not going!  They have a cafe that is out-side seating fun and great food & drink. And always there is something you can see for FREE also some that are not

5/30/2012

Modern Art isn't for everyone, but I happen to dig it which is why I frequent LACMA whenever I can. Also having a membership helps too since I can get a adult in free. Kids +17 and under are free so for those with kiddies, you can get them cultured and not have to pay! How can you say no?!

The coolest exhibits I've seen have been King Tut, Van Gogh, Tim Burton Exhibit, Metropolis and California Design!

I'll list the more recent ones since the other ones I saw back when I was in high school (over 13 years ago..holy crap I'm getting old *tears*)

I love all things Tim Burton so it was a no brainer for me to check out his artwork when it was on display last year. There were plenty of pieces from all the movies and cartoons (Frankenweenie coming soon yay!), but the most interesting stuff I liked were the drawings he made as a kid and teenager. To come up with such cool and macabre ideas made me wish I knew him as a kid! Maybe that's why I like him, because I'm a bit "off" myself..! ^_^

When I heard about Metropolis I totally squealed at the thought of someone building a city out of Jenga blocks and hot wheels cars (other stuff too of course!). How can you go wrong?! Anyone who likes gadgets would love this exhibit (check my photos(. I'm not sure when its going away, but definitely check it out if you can.

If you're a fan of the 1950s and 1960s, then the exhibit California Design is for you. It actually ends on June 3rd (this weekend) so try to catch it if you can. Its amazing display for furniture, clothing and a sample of the Eames Case Study House (which you cannot take photos of, booo!).

If you have a membership (I do) you can preview a lot of the exhibits before the public which is nice because its not as crowded. People can be a bit rude when looking at exhibits sometimes in that they will walk right in front of you and stop. Yes sir I didn't want to see that painting because you wanted to see it more than I did! Umm hmm yup! This is why I typically try to go on week nights because its a virtual ghost town and me not being a fan of large crowds suits me just fine.

Parking can be a bit of a pain, but at night you can easily find parking on the street for free. I do recommend staying clear of the parking structure across the street from the Tar Pits on Curson thats adjacent to the Counter. We parked there once and paid about twice what we would've paid if we had parked on the Tar Pits side. Lesson learned! Parking drama aside this is an awesome museum!

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• See all photos from Nicole J. for Los Angeles County Museum of Art

8/20/2012

Yes, I traveled from Seattle to Los Angeles just to see the lamps. Silly me.

I wanted to go here after I saw the antique lamps in the movie, "No Strings Attached" and it was no disappointment when I arrived. Looks exactly like in the movie, except I was there in the late afternoon so the lamps were not light up. I suggest going at night so you can see them light up and take cooler pictures as well.

The lamps are located right in front of the museum so you can't miss them! And you can practically spend an hour or 30 minutes taking pictures there, which I did. Oh, and most importantly, since the lamps are not technically in the museum, free of charge. Woo!

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  Looks so grand!

  Looks so grand!

9/11/2012

Yay!! I finally made it here! I always wanted a picture with the light posts!!!

Fortunately, thanks to being patrons of BofA, we were able to score free tickets to the museum that weekend!!

The museum was good, but not great! Tim Burton pieces were amazing. I believe he was the artist who did the light posts and my favorite exhibit was the intricate hot wheels highway Burton made. Pretty cool watching over 30 hot wheels zooming thru the "highway" without colliding.

8/4/2014

I've been here three times, and it's always such a pleasant experience to walk around and explore artworks or fascinating sculptures. I enjoy the gardens as well as the galleries. If you reside in the area, you can totally come here with a friend and a book and chill for an afternoon, granted that the weather goes in your favor.

3/18/2012

Just learned that kids get a free membership until age 18 and the child gets to bring a free guest.  Hadn't been here in forever and was impressed by how many exhibits they have.  During our visit they had plenty of music floating around and free face painting for the kids, both of which were a hit, so much so, that we really didn't get to check out too many of the exhibits.

There you go for a totally non-art related opinion of the spot.

7/1/2013

I hadn't been to LACMA in a few years and a role that I'm playing references a lot of artwork so my scene study teacher told me it'd be a great idea to visit a museum as homework so my scene partner and I headed to LACMA later that week.

We talked on the way their and figured we'd stay for about an hour and a half. Well, 3 hours later and we were still entranced by all of the wonderful artwork from around the world and from different time periods. The only reason we ended up leaving after 3 hours is because she had to be somewhere soon, otherwise we certainly would have stayed longer.

Whether you like modern/contemporary art (they have quite a few Picaso's), ancient Egyptian, south american, asian or any other type of art from any corner of the world, LACMA has tons of art that you will love. We started in the modern buildings because that's what our scene referenced but the ancient Egyptian art was probably my favorite. Standing just inches away from something thousands of years old is amazing enough and even more so when you see how much time and effort people put into their artwork so long ago. To think, 2,000+ years ago someone held that and painted on it with such detail and precision just truly blows my mind.

As they say, Earth without 'art' is just: eh. And the LACMA shows us just how true that statement is!

1/28/2014

I went to the LACMA for the first time this past Friday with a few of my friends and we had an amazing time. After spending easily 5 hours at the LACMA only felt like an hour. The art work was breath taking! I cannot wait to go again!

6/30/2013

Saw the Kubrick exhibit here and it was amazing. There's props, memorabilia, cameras, photos, films, scripts from his amazing movies, so it features a treasure trove of items from Kubrick's cinematic legacy.

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  Banner for the Kubrick exhibit obviously.

  Banner for the Kubrick exhibit obviously.
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1/27/2014

def a place for being tourist ;)) the light lamps are on even when the museum is close and you can take pictures of it anytime ;D

6/24/2012

This is one of my favorite things to do with the kids on a weekend!  Thanks to the NextStep program my wife and I get in for free when we bring the kids... and it's so amazing!  The Boone Children's Gallery is one of their favorites, they can paint and draw as many pictures as they want!  Many is the hour we've spent here...

I love the Japanese gallery, the ability to view the art in an environment that mimics the lighting in a traditional Japanese home is really a treat.  I'd say that most of our time at LACMA is usually spent in the Japanese Pavilion and in the Boone Gallery.

If  you only have one child, I have a friend who has a great solution for a day at LACMA; he and his wife bring their kid, then they take turns walking him around the exhibits while the other parent sits in the bar... it's a win-win!

It is also located next to the LaBrea Tar Pits, and across from the Petersen Automotive Museum, so if you want to make a day of it, this is a great place to be!

3/15/2012

I really enjoyed my time at the LACMA because there were so many permanent collections here that I wanted to see and interested me. This is usually rare since having seen more than my fair share of art museums, I really had no desire to go see this because I have seen so many. However LACMA really captured my imagination with all its different exhibits which contained interesting historical aspects along with great audio guide.

We also saw the Tar Pits outside on our way nearby. The Tim Burton exhibit was also equally interesting although it was a little bit pricier than I expected. They still have great audio guides as well for these other exhibits.

This is definitely a great visit if you're in LA, don't wait!

4/20/2012

I actually passed by this place while on my way to Sprinkles Cupcakes and recognized the urban lights from the movie No Strings Attached. I ended up convincing my boyfriend to come here since we needed to kill time before going to our destination anyways. We parked on the streets which was free since it was a Sunday so I didn't understand how some people paid $10 to park in the lot. We only paid $20 all together since we got the student tickets. They didn't ask for a school ID or anything so I guess you can just tell them you are a student and bam, you only pay $10/ticket.

The Japanese and contemporary art exhibits were my favorite. I spent most of my time at the contemporary exhibit. I love the big red elevator that they had. Also, that long escalator ride was pretty cool while my boyfriend thought it took forever lol. Overall, I was really impressed with this museum. Really good place to take your family since they do have workshops for kids.

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  Corn flakes.

  Corn flakes.
• See all photos from Janice V. for Los Angeles County Museum of Art

2/14/2013

There aren't many things about LA that could drag me away from my happy little oasis down here in San Diego, but LACMA is definitely on the shortlist.

You could potentially spend an entire day here and probably not make it through every exhibit.  It's that extensive.  And there is something for everyone from canvas paintings to sculpture to motion pictures and on and on.  And their catalog spans the entirety of human existence

Seriously.

The special exhibitions are especially awesome.  In less than a year, I've been to the Burton exhibit, the California Design exhibit and most recently, the Kubrick Retrospective, which I nerded out on for a good 2 hours before being ushered out.as it was closing time.

It also helps that their relatively central location allows me to get anywhere in the greater LA I wish on a whim, because all that walking builds up an appetite something fierce!

Even though I'm 150 miles away, I would not hesitate to get a continuing membership here.  That's how much I think of LACMA and it's on going mission.  And I'm sure that membership will come in handy when AMPAS opens up LACMA West!

8/19/2012

The LACMA is huge and I really like how you can spend hours there. There are various galleries and collections to check out. My friend and I visited the the Pavilion for Japanese Art, Hammer Building, Ahmanson Building, and Art of the Americas Buildling.

The museum offers free admission every second Tuesday of the month! Parking is $10 in the underground structure.

I hear good things about the events they hold at the LACMA, but I've never been to any myself.

6/24/2013

LACMA is amazing and I love the art museum, but this review is for watching a film at the Bing Theater.  

THE SOUND QUALITY IS TERRIBLE and almost ruins the movie.  I watched two Kubrick films in June 2013 here, and it was noticeably bad sound.  Also, the screen is pretty small.  On the positive side, the legroom is amazing and there are no ads before the movie.

I will never go see a movie at the Bing Theater until there is a major re-model with new speakers.  I found myself wishing I was watching the Blu-Ray at my home.

8/17/2012

Los Angeles County Museum of Awesomeness. We have been patrons and donors since 2008, and we are proud to support the arts in southern California. Also, if you're a donor over a certain dollar threshold, you get into some exhibits for free. So yay for that little perk!

The museum has expanded over time and now also includes the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, Ray and Stark's Bar, the lamp posts (which we've taken pictures in front of more times than I can count) in the Resnick Pavilion, and more outdoor exhibits (currently the Levitating Mass). It's a wonderful place to while away the day by yourself, with a partner, or even a group of people. My 60+ year old dad enjoys this place, as well as my 1-year old. There's something for everyone to see/do. Get yourself out here and soak in some culture!