List of museums in Los Angeles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list of museums in Los Angeles is a list of museums located within the City of Los Angeles, defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.

To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Museums[edit]

Name Image Community Type Summary
A+D Museum Downtown Architecture Architecture and Design Museum, changing exhibits, information and education center about architecture, interior design, landscape design, fashion design and product design
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Wilshire Media Museum dedicated to the motion picture arts and the Oscars Award ceremony. Located at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue (formerly the May Department Store) LACMA Campus.
African American Firefighter Museum Downtown Firefighting Vintage fire apparatus, stories, pictures, memorabilia of pioneering African American Los Angeles firefighters
Annenberg Space for Photography Century City Photography Changing exhibits of digital and print photography
American Jewish University Art Galleries Bel Air Art Platt and Borstein Art Galleries, Smalley Sculpture Garden
Andres Pico Adobe Mission Hills Historic house Operated by the San Fernando Valley Historical Society
Armand Hammer Museum of Art Westwood Art Also known as the Hammer Museum, collection includes French 19th-century masters, European old master paintings, American artists from the 18th to 20th centuries, works by 19th-century French satirist Honoré Daumier and contemporaries, sculpture and contemporary art
Autry Museum of the American West Griffith Park Culture Museum dedicated to the art, history, and cultures of the American West. Established in 2003 following the merger of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Women of the West Museum, and the Museum of the American West (formerly the Autry Museum of Western Heritage)
Avila Adobe Downtown Historic house Oldest standing residence in Los Angeles, part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument
Banning Residence Museum Wilmington Historic house Victorian mansion of Phineas Banning
Barnsdall Art Park Los Feliz Art Includes the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, and Hollyhock House
Battleship USS Iowa Museum San Pedro Military Operated by the Pacific Battleship Center, the USS Iowa (BB-61) served during WWII, Korean War, and the Cold War, and hosted 3 presidents (President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Ronald Reagan, and President George H. W. Bush.)
Ben Maltz Gallery Westchester Art Contemporary art gallery of Otis College of Art and Design
Bhagavad-gita Museum Culver City Art/Religion Diorama displays illustrating the Bhagavad-gita, owned and operated by ISKCON
Bolton Hall Museum Tujunga Local history Operated by the Little Landers Historical Society
The Broad Museum Downtown Art A contemporary art museum built by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad
Cal State Northridge Art Galleries Northridge Art Main, Summer and West galleries[1]
California State University, Los Angeles Luckman Fine Arts Complex and Fine Arts Gallery University Hills Art Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex for visual and performing arts,[2] and the Fine Arts Gallery in Building 9 that is part of the Department of Art[3]
California African American Museum Exposition Park African American
California Science Center Exposition Park Science
Campo de Cahuenga Studio City Historic house
Catalina Island Museum Avalon Art and History Museum Founded in 1953; Santa Catalina Island's only museum
Centinela Adobe Westchester Historic house
Chatsworth Museum Chatsworth Historic house Operated by the Chatsworth Historical Society at the Homestead Acre, late 19th-century homesteader's cottage known as the Hill-Palmer Cottage
Chinese American Museum Downtown Ethnic – Chinese History and experience of Chinese Americans in the state of California, also fine art exhibits, part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument
Craft Contemporary Miracle Mile Folk Art Located in Museum Row
Destination Crenshaw Crenshaw Boulevard, Hyde Park Cultural Under-construction 1.3-mile-long (2.1 km) open-air museum preserving the history and culture of African Americans
Discovery Cube Los Angeles Lake View Terrace Science Located by Hansen Dam, the museum for children to learn about science
Drum Barracks Wilmington Civil War Civil War-era military facility with museum containing camp models, period displays
El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument Downtown Multiple Includes Olvera Street, Avila Adobe, Chinese American Museum, Italian American Museum of Los Angeles, Plaza Firehouse Museum, Sepulveda House, changing exhibits in El Pueblo Gallery, Pico House, Hellman/Quon building
Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum Downtown Textile Costumes, accessories, textiles & perfume
Flight Path Learning Center & Museum Los Angeles Airport Flying Aircraft, models, photos, displays, school tours, and special programs. Library includes rare industry magazines dating to World War II and before, aircraft manuals, and historic photographs
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) San Fernando Valley History Houses the Hall Of Liberty American History Museum
Fort MacArthur Museum San Pedro Military History of the fort and its role in defending the Los Angeles area
Fowler Museum Westwood Cultural Part of UCLA, collections include art, ethnographic and archaeological objects representing prehistoric, historic, and contemporary cultures of Africa, Native and Latin America, and Asia and the Pacific
Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden Westwood Art Sculpture garden located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles and is run by the Hammer Museum.
Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation Holmby Hills Art Estate and gardens with collection of 20th-century art, open by appointment on guided tours
Geffen Contemporary at MOCA Downtown Art Located in Little Tokyo district, branch of Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Getty Center Brentwood Art One site of the J. Paul Getty Museum, exhibits classical sculpture and art, European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture, decorative arts and photography
Getty Villa Pacific Palisades Cultural Another site of the J. Paul Getty Museum, arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome and Etruria
Grammy Museum Downtown Music Located at L.A. Live, history of the Grammy Awards and music artifacts
` Downtown Historic house website, turn-of-the century Queen Anne house
Griffith Observatory Griffith Park Science Exhibits include astronomy, planets, stars, the cosmos, gravity, the sun and moon
Guinness World Record Museum Hollywood Entertainment website, located on Hollywood Boulevard and featuring world record breaking facts and feats.
Heritage Square Museum Montecito Heights Open air Eight structures tell the story of the settlement and development of Southern California from the Civil War to the early 20th Century
Hill-Palmer Cottage Chatsworth Historic house Operated by the Chatsworth Historical Society, also known as the Homestead Acre
Hollywood Bowl Museum Hollywood Media Gallery of photos from performers at the Hollywood Bowl, audio and video clips, memorabilia
Hollywood Heritage Museum Hollywood History Archival photographs from silent movie picture productions, movie props, historic documents and movie memorabilia
Hollywood Museum Hollywood Media Over 10,000 historical costumes, props, models, set pieces and more from movies and movie stars, located in the Max Factor building
Hollywood Wax Museum Hollywood Wax Wax figures of media stars, fictional characters, famous politicians and a Chamber of Horrors
Human Resources Downtown Art Non-profit exhibition and performance space
Italian American Museum of Los Angeles Downtown Cultural Part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, history and contributions of Italian Americans in Los Angeles
Japanese American National Museum Downtown Ethnic – Japanese Japanese American history, culture and art, located in Little Tokyo
Judson Studios Highland Park Art Art gallery and stained glass workshops
Kleinrock Internet Heritage Site and Archive Westwood History website Part of UCLA, birthplace and early history of the Internet where the first node of the ARPANET (a network that laid foundations for the modern Internet) was sent
Korean Cultural Center Koreatown Ethnic – Korean Korean history and culture, changing exhibits of traditional and contemporary art
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes Downtown Ethnic Mexican-American experience in Los Angeles and Southern California, art and culture, reconstruction of 1920's Main Street vignettes
Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions Hollywood Art Also known as LACE, contemporary art exhibition space and archive of the visual arts for the city of Los Angeles
Los Angeles County Museum of Art Miracle Mile Art Includes Pavilion for Japanese Art, collections of African, Ancient Americas, American, Middle Eastern, Chinese and Korean, Contemporary, Egyptian, European, Latin American and Asian art, costumes & textiles, decorative arts and design, photography
Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial Various Firefighting Old Fire Station 27 is located on Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, history of the department, antique equipment and fire engines; Old Fire Station 36 is located in San Pedro, also called the Harbor Museum
Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum Griffith Park Railroad Located next to Travel Town Museum, operates 7½" gauge model trains for visitors to ride, includes Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn
Los Angeles Maritime Museum San Pedro Maritime Local maritime, diving and fishing industries, ship models, sailor's artifacts, local history, USS Los Angeles (CA-135)
Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery Los Feliz Art Located in Barnsdall Art Park, focus is arts and artists of Southern California
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust Fairfax History Located in Pan Pacific Park, dedicated to educating the public and commemorating those who survived and who were lost
Los Angeles Police Museum Highland Park Law enforcement Artifacts include photos, uniforms, badges, squad cars, a paddy wagon, and bullet-riddled vehicles
Los Encinos State Historic Park Encino History Area agriculture history and historic adobe house
Lummis House Highland Park Historic house Early 20th century rock house, also known as El Alisal
Madame Tussauds Hollywood Hollywood Wax
The Main Museum of Los Angeles Art Downtown L.A. Art Museum dedicated to the art and artists of Los Angeles
Marciano Art Foundation Contemporary Art
Mission San Fernando Rey de España Mission Hills Religious Includes the Archival Center Museum of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, history of the archdiocese including exhibits about archbishops and cardinals, papal collection, art, missions, religious objects
Muller House San Pedro Historic house 1899 Colonial Revival house, operated by the San Pedro Bay Historical Society[4]
Museum of Contemporary Art Downtown Art Main branch is located on Grand Avenue in Museum Row, Geffen Contemporary is in the Little Tokyo district of Downtown Los Angeles, and Pacific Design Center facility is in West Hollywood
Museum of Death Hollywood Criminology Located on Hollywood Boulevard, death and related topics including funerals, murder, and capital punishment
Museum of Jurassic Technology Palms Multiple Unusual collection of exhibits and objects with varying and uncertain degrees of authenticity
Museum of the San Fernando Valley Northridge Multiple Website, history, art, and culture of the San Fernando Valley
Museum of Selfies Hollywood Photography website Interactive exhibits including the Upside Down Room, throne from Game of Thrones, red carpet walk, etc.
Museum of Tolerance Westside History World racism & prejudice with a strong focus on the history of the Holocaust
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Exposition Park Natural history Displays include animal habitats, dinosaurs, pre-Columbian cultures and the Ralph M. Parsons Discovery Center and Insect Zoo
Nethercutt Collection Sylmar Automobile Over 130 antique, classic and special interest automobiles
Neutra VDL Studio and Residences Silver Lake Historic house Home of architect Richard Neutra
Page Museum (La Brea Tar Pits) Miracle Mile Natural history Fossils housed in the George C. Page Museum, located in Museum Row
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the University of Southern California Libraries Downtown LGBT Art & History Repository of LGBT materials, presents exhibitions at its main location near the University of Southern California
Oran Z's Pan African Black Facts & Wax Museum South Los Angeles African American website, wax figures, cultural artifacts from throughout the African world, black memorabilia, Blacks in advertising, Negro League baseball history, autographs, historical artifacts, reference library
Petersen Automotive Museum Wilshire Transportation Vintage automobiles, history of autos in Los Angeles, automotive art, artifacts and memorabilia, located in Museum Row
Plaza Firehouse Museum Downtown Firefighting Part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, late 19th to early 20th century firefighting equipment, apparatus, photos, located in a historic firehouse
Point Fermin Lighthouse Historic Site and Museum San Pedro Maritime Restored lighthouse museum
Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Hollywood Religious Owned and operated by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, an anti-psychiatry organization founded by the Church of Scientology
Ralph J. Bunche House South Los Angeles Biographical Also known as the Ralph Bunche Peace & Heritage Center
REDCAT Downtown Art Exhibition venue of the California Institute of the Arts, with public art gallery
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood Entertainment Located on Hollywood Boulevard
Sepulveda House Downtown Local history Part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, historic house and visitor center with exhibits about the area
Skirball Cultural Center Brentwood Jewish Home of the Skirball Museum with exhibits about Jewish culture, accomplishments and the history of the Jewish people in the United States
SPARC Gallery Venice Art Community art center and gallery website
Southwest Museum of the American Indian Mt. Washington Native American Galleries are closed for rehabilitation, but the museum still offers programs, events and a gift shop; now part of the Autry National Center
SS Lane Victory San Pedro Maritime Second World War Victory ship preserved as a museum ship
Travel Town Museum Griffith Park Railroad Steam locomotives and other rolling stock
USC Fisher Museum of Art University Park Art Contemporary and old master exhibitions
Velveteria Downtown Art Collection of velvet paintings
Watts Towers Watts Art Outdoor folk art tower sculptures and adjacent Watts Towers Arts Center
Will Rogers State Historic Park Pacific Palisades Historic house Ranch home of Will Rogers
Zimmer Children's Museum Wilshire Children's website

Defunct museums[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Art Galleries". Cal State Northridge. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  2. ^ "Official site". Luckman Fine Arts Complex. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  3. ^ "Fine Arts Gallery". Cal State L.A. Department of Art. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  4. ^ "Official site". San Pedro Bay Historical Society. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  5. ^ "Sports Museum of Los Angeles Closes Again, This Time for Good". LA Downtown News. September 23, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  6. ^ "Official site". VIVA Gallery. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  7. ^ Hudson, Caroline (September 2, 2020). "Wells Fargo to permanently shutter almost all of its museums". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved December 18, 2022.

External links[edit]