The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) features a little bit of everything in displaying more than 100,000 pieces of art from around the world and across many different disciplines and time periods.
From Africa to Europe to Japan and China and America, the only unrepresented region seems to be Antarctica, which has never had a very prolific output anyway.
The LACMA opened in 1910 as part of the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art. The museum did not have an art collection at the time, nor did it have the ability to acquire one, so artists loaned their work to the museum on a temporary basis so that they could be displayed.
Since then, its mission has evolved to include the display of a wide selection of art from around the world and, more specifically, to display that art and make it interesting and relevant for as wide an audience as possible.
Admission
Visiting the LACMA costs $9 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and children 17 and younger get in free. The museum is also free to visit after 5 p.m. every day until it closes at 8 p.m.
Special exhibitions require tickets for admission that are roughly double the regular ticket prices, but children are still free and ticket prices are reduced on weekdays.
The biggest trick to visiting the LACMA is figuring out parking. There are three paid parking lots around the museum campus charging varying rates from $5 to $8. There is also metered parking on 6th Street, Wilshire Boulevard and adjacent neighboring streets. Parking is limited during certain hours.
Location
The LACMA is located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits. It closes on Wednesdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, but is otherwise open throughout the year noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.