LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART

Description

Essentials about the Los Angeles County Museum Art in brief

For art lovers, a visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (usually just called “LACMA” for short) is a must on a trip to Los Angeles. With a collection of over 130,000 works from antiquity to the present from all parts of the world, the art museum, founded in 1910, is the largest museum in the western United States. LACMA’s collections of American, Islamic and Korean art are particularly extensive and significant.

The history of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The origins of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art date back to the Museum of Science, History and Art, founded in 1910. Located in Exposition Park in South Los Angeles, the museum initially had no acquisitions budget, nor did it have its own art collection. Initially, private loans came to the exhibit, which were supplemented by donations in the 1920s and 1930s. In addition, the museum received financial support from private sources and was thus able to make its first purchases. Among the fastest growing areas of the collection was the Asian Art Department. A wing was added to the original museum building to accommodate the growing collection.

In the years following the end of World War II, the collection expanded primarily to include traditional works of American and European art as well as Egyptian artifacts. Donations from the American media tycoon William Randolph Hearst played an important role in this process. In addition, the museum’s board of trustees began to consider the creation of an independent art museum, which was approved in 1961.

The Board of Trustees planned a museum that would rank high among art history museums. In 1965, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art opened at its current location in the three museum buildings designed by William Pereira. At that time, the museum was the largest newly constructed museum in the United States, second only to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. At this time, the permanent collection of the museum was displayed in the Ahmanson Building, while special exhibitions were presented in the Hammer Building. In addition, the Bing Theater provided a hall for lectures.

In 1986, the Modern Art and Contemporary Art Building was completed on Wilshire Boulevard. This was followed in 1988 by the opening of the Bruce Goff-designed Pavilion of Japanese Art and the B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Garden. A year later, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art expanded further, renovating the Balch Art Research Library. LACMA acquired the adjacent May Department Stores building in 1991 and 1992, increasing its space by 30 percent. The building opened in 1998 and is now known as LACMA West. In 2000, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was again renovated and the surrounding park was replanted. In addition, a curatorial area for Latin American art was created and an amphitheater was opened for outdoor events.

Beginning in 2004, the grounds of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art were remodeled in several phases according to plans by star architect Renzo Piano. This included the creation of a new entrance building that links the museum’s buildings and is designed to help visitors find their way around. Furthermore, LACMA West was renovated and new exhibition space was created, and the buildings in the eastern part of the museum complex also underwent renovation. In addition, artwork was installed in the park and an Oscar Academy was built on the grounds of the museum.

The departments of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is divided into over 22 departments. The most important among them are:

Modern Art

The Modern Art collection is housed in the Ahmanson Building. The collection includes works from the period 1900 to 1980, including 20 works by Picasso, as well as works by Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. In addition, the Modern Art collection includes sculptures by master sculptors such as Constantin Brâncuși, Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miró and Willem de Kooning.

Contemporary Art

LACMA’s Contemporary Art collection features works by artists such as Matthew Barney, Chris Burden, John Chamberlain, Sam Francis, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Lari Pittman, Richard Serra, Frank Stella.

American art and Latin American Art

The Art of the Americas Building houses the exhibition of artifacts from North, Central and South America. Particularly significant is the collection of pre-Columbian art, which is one of the largest in the world.

Asian Art

LACMA’s collections of Chinese, Korean and Japanese art are also among the most important in the world outside their countries of origin. In addition, the museum also owns a rich collection of art objects from India.

Greek, Roman, and Etruscan Art

The collection of Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities is located in the Ahmanson Building. Much of this collection still dates back to the donation by former media tycoon William Randolph Hearst.

Islamic Art

The collection of Islamic art consists of more than 1,700 art objects of various kinds, ranging from inlaid detail and enameled glass to wood and stone carvings. One exhibition focus is Persian and Turkish art.

Costumes and Textiles

With over 10,000 exhibits, the Clothing and Textiles Department is one of the richest at LACMA. Here you can see clothing of all kinds, shoes, hats, tablecloths, quilts and fashion drawings from various centuries.

Permanent Art installations

The exterior of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is home to a number of art objects and installations. Among the best known are the installation Urban Light by Chris Burden, an ensemble of some 200 historic street lamps from various locations in and around Los Angeles, and the sculpture Levitated Mass by Michael Heizer, a 340-ton boulder placed over a pedestrian underpass.