Best Art Galleries In Los Angeles
Art in Los Angeles is as diverse as the city itself. From chic sophistication to lowbrow kitch, there is an art gallery in this town for everyone's taste. Below is a list of some of the best, and most unique, Los Angeles has to offer.
Downtown LA Art Walk
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 784-2598
www.downtownartwalk.org
For those looking to take in the best galleries Los Angeles has to offer, the Downtown LA Art Walk is the best event to attend. Occurring on the second Thursday of every month, the Downtown LA Art Walk is a free, self-guided public art tour which brings art lovers together. Participating in the event are some of the top museums and galleries too. From the CB1 Gallery, the Fold Gallery, the Diego Cardosa Gallery and the Blackstone Gallery to many more, art related events, openings and activities are in full supply for this special event.
Thinkspace Gallery
6009 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 558-3375
www.thinkspacegallery.com
Located in the Culver City art district, Thinkspace Gallery is dedicated to young and emerging artists and specializes in graphic art, design, and street art as well as new contemporary work. Patrons are consistently impressed by the high quality of work exhibited at the gallery, and appreciate the vision and risk that goes into every piece. Likewise, gallery owners are passionate about the new talent cultivated there, and are committed to promoting it.
Ace Gallery Los Angeles
5514 Wilshire Blvd., 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 935-4411
www.acegallery.net
Founder Douglas Chrismas opened his first art gallery at the age of 17 in Vancouver, Canada. Six years later he opened the Los Angeles location of Ace Gallery which has been, for the last 25 years, the largest commercial exhibition space in the western United States. Located on the second floor of the Wilshire Tower in the historic Miracle Mile, the gallery uses architectural space and natural lighting to enhance the impressive contemporary art on display. Ace Gallery prides itself on featuring museum quality exhibitions in its over 30,000 square feet of installation space, balancing both emerging and mid-career artists with fully established ones. In addition to the Wilshire Tower location, Ace Gallery also has a space in Beverly Hills.
William Turner Gallery
2525 Michigan Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 453-0909
www.williamturnergallery.com
Situated in Santa Monica, The William Turner Gallery has been known for their representation of emerging artists since 1991. Beginning their roots in Venice, they now occupy the Michigan Avenue space at the Bergamot Station Arts Center and focus on "museum quality exhibitions and secondary market art sales." Here, you'll find everything from photography to fine art and more from some of today's top artists.
La Luz De Jesus
4633 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 666-7667
www.laluzdejesus.com
Touting itself as the "birthplace of pop surrealism," La Luz de Jesus Gallery's roots are as eclectic as the art itself. What started in 1971 as a small, family-run shop called Soap Plant (offering a variety of items from handcrafted soaps to leatherware), branched into a pop culture toy shop called WACKO, and in 1986 entrepreneur and art collector Billy Shire established La Luz de Jesus Gallery. With a new exhibit opening the first Friday of every month, the gallery seeks to "bring underground art and counter-culture to the masses". La Luz de Jesus celebrates the uniquely Californian "Lowbrow" art genre it helped birth. Along with two rooms there's a hallway of rotating prints, paintings, and sculptures.
Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 443-7000
hammer.ucla.edu
Outside, as UCLA students rush by on their way to class, within the museum walls Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet and Rembrandt hang together in museum's permanent collection. Renowned for their cutting-edge exhibitions which includes the Billy Wilder Theater, a 300-seat venue named for the Oscar–winning screenwriter and director, this museum offers free admission and a vibrant and creative selection of art.
Gallery 1988
7021 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 424-3705
www.nineteeneightyeight.com
If you're a pop-culture junkie, Gallery 1988 is your art mecca. California natives Katie Cromwell and Jensen Karp opened the gallery on Melrose and La Brea in 2004, and seven years later expanded with a new location in Venice Beach. Gallery 1988 is one of the nation's top destinations for pop-culture themed artwork, with past shows featuring a Joss Whedon tribute gallery, pun-filled pop-culture art by Hanksy, and a Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary show. Many emerging artists call the gallery home, offering art lovers a chance to buy their work at an affordable price before their careers take off. The Melrose gallery is broken into two locations, with the west location featuring Postcard Correspondence where artists create postcards to share their favorite pop-culture adventures (March 20 - April 4), and the east location featuring 100 Paintings in 100 Days by Megan Majewski (March 6 - 21).
The Hive Gallery
729 S. Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 955-9051
www.hivegallery.com
An integral and long-standing fixture in the Downtown Art Walk, The Hive Gallery and Studios offers a unique art experience. With five featured artists a month, 25 working artists, and an artist-made item store, the Hive is always buzzing with something new. Though there is a strong tendency toward neo-pop illustration, you'll find a range of styles in the work on display. Visitors enjoy both lighthearted and darker works by artists dedicated to bringing something special and high quality to the community. In addition to artwork, the Hive also serves as an event space, holding fundraisers, movie screenings, and even yoga.
The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 440-7300
www.getty.org
As one of the most iconic museums, The Getty Museum offers a plethora of intriguing art on view. With free admission, make a day out of heading to this spectacular museum with a huge collection of art including European paintings which span many decades, as well as several galleries displaying paintings, sculptures, prints, decorative arts and much more. Aside from the many art pieces on view, the property is worth a view all on its own. With unique architecture, beautiful gardens, open spaces, and a view that is rivaled to none, it's a must visit.
LACMA
5905 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 857-6000
www.lacma.org
Offering up more than 150,000 works of art spanning the history of time, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is easily one of the best art galleries around. It may be on the larger scale compared to some other art galleries, but it is nonetheless a must see for anyone remotely interested in art. Whether you're an art aficionado, or a novice art connoisseur, the LACMA features something for everyone. What's best about this museum is their ever-growing exhibits meaning there's always something new to see.