Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Art museum in Los Angeles, United States
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art spans roughly 20 acres and houses collections from antiquity to the present day in several pavilions and exhibition buildings. The complex includes open courtyards, sculpture gardens, and galleries organized by geographic and temporal focus.
LACMA was established as an independent museum in 1961, separating from the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art, which had been founded in 1913 in Exposition Park. Edward W. Carter led the fundraising, with Howard F. Ahmanson, Sr. giving the lead $2 million gift. Construction of William Pereira's three buildings began in 1963 and cost $11.5 million; the museum opened on Wilshire Boulevard in 1965.
The museum's name comes from Los Angeles County, which owns the Wilshire Boulevard land, a gift from G. Allan Hancock in 1916. Its Latin American holdings include more than 2,000 works donated by Bernard and Edith Lewin. The museum also runs film and concert series alongside its exhibitions.
The campus is split by Ogden Avenue, so plan to cross between the west buildings and the Renzo Piano entry pavilion. The Hancock Park side links the museum to the La Brea Tar Pits viewing sites. Allow time for the walk between the Ahmanson, Broad and Japanese Pavilion buildings.
A dedicated area preserves more than 7,000 works of German Expressionism, including pieces by artists such as Kirchner and Beckmann. The collection originated from a major donation and ranks among the most important outside Europe.
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