Museums in California

Southern California

The Autry National Center

Autry-museum.org

4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA, 90027-1462

Phone: (323) 667-2000

The Autry National Center explores the experiences and perceptions of the diverse peoples of the American West, connecting the past with the present to inform our shared future. The Autry Center merged with the Southwest Museum of the American Indian and Women of the West Museums. The collection therefore contains art of the American West, Native American Art, and exhibitions on women’s experiences on the western frontier.

The Getty Center

The J. Paul Getty Museum

1200 Getty Center Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90049

Phone: (310) 440-7330

The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center in Los Angeles houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and European and American photographs. Its famous gardens were designed by the renowned artist Robert Irwin.

The Getty Villa

17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades, California 90049

Phone: (310) 440-7300 for ticket availability.

The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa in Malibu is modeled on the ancient Villa of the Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy. It houses the museum’s antiquities collection and is dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and the ancient Etruscans. Its gardens were designed in the ancient Roman style. The main garden replicates that of the original ancient villa.

Bowers Museum of Cultural Art

Bowers.org

2002 N. Main St, Santa Ana, CA 92706

Phone: (714) 567-3600

Tribal Art including Pacific Islands: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia, Africa: Peoples of the Niger, Nomads of North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, China and Southeast Asia: Tribal People of China and Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian archipelagos and Tribal India, The Americas: Pre-Columbian America and The Native American West . International partnerships developed with the Palace Museum, Beijing, the British Museum, and many others brings major traveling exhibitions to the Bowers Museum.

California African American Museum

Caam.ca.gov

600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, CA 90037

Phone: (213) 744-7432

The collection includes traditional African Art, Modern and Contemporary art from the Harlem Renaissance, academic and naturalistic 19th century landscape paintings, and contemporary art from the African Diaspora.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

The Huntington -- Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108

Phone: (626) 405-2100

The Huntington is a research and educational center set amidst 120 acres of breathtaking gardens. Three art galleries and a library showcase magnificent collections of paintings, sculptures, rare books, manuscripts, and decorative arts. Highlights of Henry Huntington’s rare book collection include the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (c.1410), and a Gutenberg Bible (c.1455). Inside Huntington’s mansion is found the art collection that includes Thomas Gainsborough's masterpiece The Blue Boy (c. 1770), Sir Thomas Lawrence's Pinkie (1794), Edward Hopper's The Long Leg, and Rogier van der Weyden's Madonna and Child (15th century). The Virginia Steele Scott Gallery of American Art contains important works of American artists from the 18th and early 20th centuries, including works by John Singer Sargent, William Harnett, John Singleton Copley and Mary Cassatt. The botanical collection features over 14,000 different species of plants, the spectacular 12-acre desert garden, the serenely beautiful Japanese garden, the camellia gardens, and much more.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art

5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Phone: (323) 857-6000 (general information) (323) 857-0098 (TDD)

Containing more than100,000 works of art, the L.A. County Museum is the largest encyclopedic museum west of Chicago. Its collection includes major artworks from Egypt, the Ancient Near East, Greece and Rome, Islam, European masterpieces from the Renaissance through early modernism, and finally cutting-edge contemporary art. It also houses East Indian and Asian Art, including the most comprehensive Korean art collection outside of Korea, and the Japanese collection housed in the stunning Pavilion for Japanese Art.

The Los Angeles Museum of Natural History

900 Exposition Blvd. (between Vermont and Figueroa. Click here for directions.)

Los Angeles, CA 90007

Phone: (213) 763-DINO

Besides housing exciting exhibits of towering dinosaurs, permanent dioramas of African and American mammals, and gems and minerals, the Natural History museum contains examples of artwork from the native peoples of California and the Southwest. It also houses art and artifacts in spectacular work done by Pre-Columbian peoples including the Olmecs, Maya, and Aztecs.

Museum of Contemporary Art, The Geffen Contemporary

Museum of Contemporary Art

MOCA at California Plaza

250 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 90012 Phone: (213) 621-1741

Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art, MOCA, is devoted exclusively to contemporary art. Its collection focuses on work produced since 1940 in all media. In a remarkably short time, MOCA has acquired a permanent collection of over 5,000 artworks and continues to grow. Today the museum is housed in three unique facilities: MOCA Grand Avenue, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, and the MOCA Pacific Design Center.

The Geffen Contemporary

Museum of Contemporary Art

152 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles 90013

Recorded Information

Phone: (21) 62-MOCA-2 Box Office (213) 621-1732 Membership Office (213) 621-1794

The Geffen is a vast multi-level warehouse-type space used form MOCA installations that art too large for the MOCA building on Grand Avenue. Shows here focus on changing exhibitions of contemporary art in many exciting forms—from paintings, prints, sculpture, installations, films and videos to innovative media and performing arts programs.

The Norton Simon Museum of Art

411 W. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91105-1825

Phone: (626) 449-6840

The Norton Simon Museum of Art is well-known to viewers of the Pasadena Rose Parade as the low-profile brown building in the background. It holds one of the world's finest and most prestigious collections of art acquired by an individual collector. This excellent collection span 2000 years of Western and Asian art. It is rich in European and American masterpieces in painting, sculpture, printmaking, and drawing, boasting works by Rembrandt, Goya, Degas, Renoir Cezanne, Gauguin and Picasso. Rodin sculptures can be found in the museum and surrounding gardens. One entire floor is dedicated to beautiful examples of Southeast Asian and Indian sculptures that are also gracefully displayed in the tranquil gardens whose pond was inspired by Monet’s gardens at Giverny.

The Pacific Asia Museum

Pacificasiamuseum.org

46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena California 91101

Phone: (626) 449-2742 x10

The Pacific Asia Museum’s permanent collection contains more than 14,000 rare and representative examples of art and artifacts from Asia and the Pacific Islands, spanning a period of five thousand years. Collections include Chinese decorative arts and ceramics, South East Asian Art, Pacific Island Art, Himalayan Buddhist Art, Japanese Decorative art, Arts of Korea, Orientalist Art and notable special collections.

The Palm Springs Desert Museum

101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs, California 92262

Phone: (760) 325-7186

Established in 1938, the Palm Springs Art Museum has become the center of the desert’s art community. What began as a museum about the desert has evolved into an oasis for the arts with Modern and Contemporary American works by artists such as Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, Duane Hanson, and Mark di Suvero; Contemporary California painting and sculpture by Sam Francis, Edward Ruscha, Robert Arneson, Nathan Oliveira, and others; Studio Art Glass by Dale Chihuly, Howard Ben Tré, and William Morris; and Classic Western American Art by Thomas Moran, Charles Russell, Frederic Remington, and others. The modern building, designed by renowned California architect E. Stewart Williams, is the focal point of the 125,000-square-foot complex that also houses collections of Native American and Mesoamerican Art. Among the American photographers included in the Photography Collection are the Stephen H. Willard Collection and Archive, and the Bill Anderson Photography Collection.

Balboa Park, San Diego Museums:

View a list of Museums in Balboa Park

1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619-239-0512

Balboa Park is the nation’s largest urban cultural park. It contains the world-famous San Diego Zoo and 15 major museums. The following art museums are located within Balboa Park: the Mingei, San Diego Museum of Art and Timken Museum.

Mingei International Museum

Map to Park Location 8

Phone: (619) 239-0003

The Mingei International Museum features exhibits of fork art of the world, including New Guinea, Indonesia and Japan. Its exhibitions of traditional and contemporary folk art, craft, and design from the past and present are shown in modern, state-of-the-art gallery spaces. Contemporary artists in woodworking, ceramics, textiles, glass, enamel, jewelry and metalwork are showcased in special exhibitions. Whether drawn from its extensive holdings or featured as part of a major touring show, the Mingei showcases the finest examples of creative expression from everyday artist craftsmen from a wide diversity of world cultural traditions.

San Diego Museum of Art

1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101

Map to Park Location 10

Phone: (619) 232-7931

As the region's oldest and largest art museum, the San Diego Museum of Art's renowned holdings include a fine selection of European old masters, 19th and 20th century American art, an encyclopedic Asian collection, and growing collections of contemporary and Latin American art. In addition, the museum presents major art exhibitions from around the world, as well as an extensive schedule of supporting cultural and educational programs.

Timken Museum of Art

Map to Park Location 12

Phone: (619) 239-5548

The Timken is one of the finest small museums in the United States, the Timken houses the world-class Putnam Foundation Collection of European old master paintings, American paintings, and Russian icons. Artists represented include Rembrandt, Rubens, Fragonard, Bierstadt, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, John Singleton Copley, and Eastman Johnson. The Timken's modern, white marble building was designed by San Diego architect Frank Hope, Jr. The museum hosts special exhibitions and admission is always free.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

2559 Puesta del Sol Road

Santa Barbara, California 93105

Phone: (805) 682-4711

The Museum features eleven exhibit halls, focusing on regional natural history, including birds, insects, mammals, marine life, and paleontology. Of particular artistic interest are the exhibits of Native American art including that of the California Indians, the Chumash, who once lived along the coast between Malibu and Paso Robles and the Channel Islands.

The Santa Monica Museum of Art

Santa Monica Museum of Art

Bergamot Station G1

2525 Michigan Ave

Santa Monica, CA 90404

Phone: (310) 586-6488

The Santa Monica Museum of Art specializes in the art of our time that emphasizes new media. It is a non-collecting museum which means it must be spontaneous and flexible, embracing diversity and experiment. It showcases art that reflects the international art world, but also American art, specifically art of Southern California, Los Angeles, and emerging artists. Its offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy stimulating contemporary arts exhibitions and learn how to understand and enjoy contemporary visual culture.

Fowler Museum at UCLA

Fowler.ucla.edu

Parking Lot 4 on UCLA campus. $8 parking fee

405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095

Phone: (310) 825-4361 The Fowler Museum has a collection of more than 750,000 artifacts from prehistoric to modern day periods. The majority of these visual arts come from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas. To enhance visitors’ understanding and appreciation of these diverse cultures and religions, the Fowler hosts several interdisciplinary exhibitions every year that help to put these cultures into a context that can be interpretive and informing.

Museum of Latin American Art – MoLAA

Molaa.org

628 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach CA 90802

Phone: (562) 437-1689

The Museum of Latin American Art has the largest permanent collection of Latin American Art west of the Mississippi. It exclusively features contemporary Latin American art since WWII by artists who have lived and worked in Mexico to South America and the Caribbean. Besides its world-class permanent collection, MoLAA presents a number of dynamic exhibitions throughout the year with related cultural and educational programs.

Long Beach Museum of Art

Lbma.org/

2300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach 90803

Phone: (562) 439-2119

The unique Long Beach Museum of Art is located on a breath-taking site on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It has a prized permanent collection of 5000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, and decorative art objects, as well as 3000 artists’ videos. Its collection includes 300 years of American decorative art objects, works by California plein-aire painters, and pieces from the Galka Scheyer collection of German Expressionist and early modern artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and Alexej Jawlensky. Changing quarterly exhibitions feature works of well-known and local artists.

Orange County Museum of Art

Ocma.net 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach CA 92660

Phone: (949) 759-1122

This is the premier art museum in Orange County with a permanent collection of 5,000 objects concentrating on California Art from the early 20th century to today. Included are works of painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, printmaking, video, digital art and installations. Although the main body of the collection is in California-based art from California Impressionism to today, the museum‘s international collection is growing, striving to link the historical and contemporary, local and global. It has won fame for organizing important contemporary art exhibitions, exhibited important shows of modern art and design, and established the California Biennial, an important showcase for emerging California artists.

Hearst Castle

The Hearst Castle

750 Hearst Castle Road, San Simeon, CA 93452-9740

Phone: (805) 927-2070

Art treasures collected by William Randolph Hearst can be found in every room of Hearst Castle. They include antique hand-carved ceilings, Greek vases dating from 700 B.C., rare oriental carpets, antique furniture, mantels and doors, important paintings and sculptures, precious textiles and tapestries. Much of these artworks and architectural elements originally came from Spain and Italy and complement the castle’s Mediterranean Revival architecture.

Northern California

The de Young Museum

Thinker.org/deyoung/

Golden Gate Park 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive San Francisco, CA 94118

Phone: (415) 863-3330

The de Young Museum boasts a priceless collection of American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries, originally part of the Rockefeller Collection. Its other permanent collections include traditional art of the native Americas, Africa, and the Pacific. Here extraordinary Pre-Columbian pieces from Teotihuacan and Peru, as well a indigenous tribal art from sub-Saharan Africa are showcased. In 2005 the new deYoung museum building was opened to great fanfare. The new building’s copper plating which changes color and a 144 ft. observation tower make the structure itself an artform

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

Asianart.org/

200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Phone: (415) 581-3500

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art. It has over 15,000 works of art and artifacts covering 6,000 years of history and drawn from all major Asian countries and traditions. Its collection was donated by Avery Brundage, a major collector of Asian Art. Besides its renowned permanent collection, the museum features special and traveling exhibitions, and some galleries are regularly rotated so visitors can see more of the museum’s collection.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Sfmoma.org/

151 Third Street (between Mission and Howard Streets)

San Francisco, CA 94103

Phone: (415) 357-4000

AThe San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a world-renowned, innovative museum featuring modern and contemporary art. It features ongoing exhibitions of paintings and sculpture from Fauvism and cubism to Pop Art and Minimalism done by some of the 20th century’s most celebrated artists. The design collection contains examples of architecture, industrial and graphic design by well-known and emerging designers. The celebrated photography collection includes photos from the mid-1800s to the present.

The San Jose Museum of Art

Sjmusart.org/

110 South Market Street, San Jose, CA 95113

Phone: (408) 271-6840 The San Jose Museum of Art is a contemporary art center whose acclaimed exhibitions have ranged across modern masterworks to the newest frontiers of art. It is dedicated to fostering an awareness, appreciation, and understanding of twentieth- and twenty-first- century art, and because it’s located in the heart of Silicon Valley, many of its exhibitions center around the combination of art and technology. Its collection includes more than 2,000 works in many different media—sculpture, painting, print, digital, photography, and drawing. It has a focus on American West Coast artist, and has begun to include works of art from the Pacific Rim.