LA museums illuminate the city’s contemporary art landscape

Often credited for hosting one of the world’s most lively art scenes, Los Angeles has established itself as an important hub for art and artists of all sorts, offering a diverse creative landscape that attracts both creators and art enthusiasts from around the world. Notably, L.A. is home to several renowned art museums that showcase a wide range of artistic styles and periods — including, but not limited to The Broad, The Getty, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Notably, The Broad features several works from American artist Koons, who is best known for his neo-pop art style that draws from elements of popular culture and consumer goods. His monumental sculpture “Tulips” (1995–2004) features a bouquet of oversized, colorful balloon flowers crafted from high chromium stainless steel.
Jeff Koons  “Tulips” (1995-2004)
Jeff Koons  “Jim Beam –  J.B. Turner Train” (1986)

Jenny Holzer “Thorax” (2008)
Robert Therrien “Under The Table” (1994)

Jean-Michel Basquiat “Obnoxious Liberals” (1982)

Museum Courtyard Fountain
Grand Stairway

French Decorative Arts: Wide Ballroom View

French Decorative Arts: Featured Antiques

Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Vincent Van Gogh “Irises” (1889)
Chris Burden “Urban Light” (2008)
Yoshitomo Nara “Miss Forest” (2020)
Michael Heizer “Levitated Mass” (2012)

The Sphere

(1) Notably, The Broad features several works from American artist Koons, who is best known for his neo-pop art style that draws from elements of popular culture and consumer goods. His monumental sculpture “Tulips” (1995–2004) features a bouquet of oversized, colorful balloon flowers crafted from high chromium stainless steel. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(2) “Jim Beam – J.B. Turner Train” (1986) is a piece from Koons’ “Luxury and Degradation” series, which highlights the concept of false luxury and explores the relationship between alcohol advertising and class divisions. The series features stainless steel sculptures of consumer goods and objects associated with alcohol consumption. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(3) Holzer’s “Thorax” (2008) is a visually striking work of art that situates itself in the corner of a dark room. It consists of 12 curved, continuously flashing LED signs that display scrolling text from declassified government documents about the Iraq War, reflecting an anti-war commentary on the violence and destruction caused by war. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(4) Therrien’s “Under The Table” (1994) is a monumental sculpture that transforms an ordinary dining table and chairs into a giant installation. Visitors are allowed to walk under the table and chairs in order to stimulate an Alice in Wonderland-like experience that challenges their perceptions of scale and perspective. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(5) The “Expansive Presentation of Jean-Michel Basquiat” is a featured installation at The Broad that includes notable works of the artist, such as “Obnoxious Liberals” (1982). Basquiat was an American artist best known for his raw, abstract graffiti-inspired paintings that addressed themes of race, identity and social commentary. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(6) A view of the Getty Museum’s rock fountain and North Pavilion building from the outdoor Courtyard. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(7) The unique modernist style of The Getty’s architectural structure can be attributed to American artist and architect Richard Meier, who was selected to work on the museum’s design during the 1980s. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(8) A wide view of a gallery room located in the South Pavilion, designed to model the grand halls of the 1700s. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(9) A firsthand look at The Getty’s French decorative arts collection, which houses furniture, ceramics and textiles spanning the 18th century, along with European paintings that reflected the taste of French art collectors at the time. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(10) The Getty’s “Sculpture and Decorative Arts” collection showcases exceptional European craftsmanship in furniture, ceramics, silver and sculpture from the late 12th to 20th centuries. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(11) “Irises” (1889) depicts a garden of bright blue iris flowers that renowned painter Van Gogh spotted during his stay at an asylum, stands today as The Getty’s most popular painting on display. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(12) LACMA has several public art installations open to the public that are available to view for free, including the famous “Urban Light” sculpture by Burden, which consists of restored street lamps from various Southern California cities in the 1920s and 30s. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(13) Nara’s “Miss Forest” (2020), located just next to “Urban Light”, is another work viewable to the public. Resembling a sleeping spirit, the sculpture’s influence draws from Japanese Shinto tradition. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(14) “Levitated Mass” (2012) by Heizer is another part of LACMA’s current outdoor sculpture program. Visitors can walk under the 340-ton granite boulder as part of the viewing experience. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

(15) The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is an institution located on the same grounds as LACMA, dedicated to the art, science and history of filmmaking. “The Sphere” is a relatively recent addition to the museum’s structure, with construction completed in 2019. “The idea of the sphere was to create an otherworldly object that transports you, as movies do,” as Architect Jonathan Jones said. (Photo by Yejin Song / Staff)

Yejin Song is a 2024-25 Staff Photographer. She can be reached at yejins6@uci.edu.

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