ARTS AND CULTURE CAPITAL: LOS ANGELES IN SPRING 2024

Over the past few years, the Los Angeles art world has had a dynamic transformation. The sprawling scene of blue check and independent galleries, as well as significant expansions of the city’s major museums has solidified Los Angeles as a global destination for arts and culture.

From the world-class museums along the famed Museum Row to the emerging galleries tucked away in smaller neighborhoods, here is a guide to the kaleidoscope of art and culture in Los Angeles this season.

AN HOMAGE TO LA’S ART EVOLUTION

This Spring, museums and galleries across the city will celebrate some of Los Angeles’ pioneering artists and leading figures from the LA art scene boom of the ‘60s and the provocative years of the ‘90s. Opening April 9, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will showcase a comprehensive, cross-media retrospective of Ed Ruscha in Ed Ruscha / Now Then which includes his iconic street photography of Los Angeles beginning in 1965. Starting February 27, Hauser & Wirth will dedicate an entire gallery at its Downtown Arts District location to a yearlong exploration of The Estate of Jason Rhoades: Drive and his LA installations that propelled him into the international art world as a driving force in the 1990s. On view beginning February 20, the Getty Museum will showcase the photographs of Sidney B. Felsen, which documents the remarkable history of pioneering artists and foundational organizations in  the evolving LA art scene of the 1960s.

ACTIVISM TAKES CENTER STAGE

Local artists, museums, and institutions are using art as a catalyst for resistance and transformation within the community. On February 10, the ICA Los Angeles opened Scratching at the Moon, an exhibition confronting the structural racism, displacement and gentrification experienced by Asian American immigrants featuring the works of thirteen intergenerational Asian diasporic artists. The latest project by multimedia artist Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi will be on view at The Hammer Museum until August 11. Nkosi’s newest works explore the social and psychological experiences of Black gymnasts, delving into the challenges they face amid public scrutiny. The California African American Museum (CAAM) invites spectators to engage with and reflect on police brutality and the collective trauma experienced by Black and Brown communities with Chloë Bass’ interactive installation titled #sky #nofilter: Hindsight for a Future America. In April 2024, CAAM will present a nearly two-decade retrospective of Paula Wilson’s interdisciplinary work exploring the polarities of life experienced as a biracial person in the United States.

 

EXPLORE OFF THE BEATEN PATH

In the past year alone, several blue-chip galleries including James Fuentes, Marian Goodman and David Zwirner have expanded to the West Coast, opening new outposts across popular Los Angeles neighborhoods. However, the smaller galleries, museums and artist collectives tucked away throughout
the city are earning the attention of art enthusiasts, collectors and tourists alike as they take strides in diversifying the art scene and amplifying BIPOC stories. Discover some of these hidden gems including the final dates of the Vincent Price Art Museum’s latest exhibition Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art, the first museum retrospective dedicated to Sandoval–  a central figure in LA’s queer and Chicanx artistic circles– open until March 2. Emerging galleries such as LaPau Gallery and Make Room Los Angeles will also have rotating exhibitions on view, with an emphasis on early-career artists of color. The Arts District is another destination for a self-guided walk to visit the decorated 6th Street Bridge with works by Chris Chanyang Shim, Richard P. Wyrgatsch II, Charlie Halstead and many more iconic graffiti artists.

OUT AND ABOUT DURING FRIEZE

There are countless art activations and unique attractions to be seen outside the gates of Frieze. Explore the latest newcomers in Los Angeles’ sprawling gallery scene including a new flagship location for Perrotin and the debut of Emma Fernberger’s gallery in the blossoming Melrose Hill neighborhood. Or stop by the satellite fairs, with presentations by more than sixty galleries at Felix Art Fair and an array of unconventional booths on view at the fifth edition of the SPRING/BREAK fair. And don’t miss the chance to explore the engineering marvels and artistry of one of history’s greatest minds at the new Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition at the Science Center or take a ride on Keith Haring’s carousel or Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Ferris wheel at the revived art amusement park Luna Luna.

ARTSY ACCOMODATIONS (Where to Stay)

For those looking to be fully immersed in the Los Angeles art scene, several boutique hotels and hospitality chains across the city are giving ‘hotel art’ a new reputation. The W Los Angeles in West Beverly Hills debuted its artist-in-residence program with an interactive launch installation by Mary Lai to greet guests as they enter the lobby. The Hotel Bel-Air takes guests on a fascinating journey through art, featuring an extensive permanent collection and rotating exhibitions curated by Jim Hedges. Across the Hills, The Peninsula in Beverly Hills is known for its collection of nearly 500 works of contemporary art that adorn the walls of this luxurious oasis. Alex Katz, Sean Scully, and Yayoi Kusama are just a few of the iconic artists with their art on display throughout the hotel. Heading Downtown, guests can explore the works of Los Angeles’ most compelling female artists and culture-makers from the comfort of their vacation digs at Hotel Figueroa.

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