LA Modern Art: a Guide to the Modern Art Inspired by LA City

Los Angeles is the city of angels, but it is also a hub for modern art. Los Angeles Modern Art: A Guide to the Modern Art Inspired by LA City takes you on a tour through some of LA’s most famous museums and galleries in search of some of LA’s best pieces.

This blog post will give you an introduction to what you’ll see when visiting these unique spaces during your next trip to Los Angeles!

– One of the most famous museums, and one that has many pieces inspired by Los Angeles is LACMA (the LA County Museum of Art). Not only does it have incredible paintings from artists like Clyfford Still and Jasper Johns, but they also boast a massive collection of murals. The mural for which the museum was once named, “The Four Elements,” was created in 1991 by Los Angeles artist Frank Romero, when he painted a mural depicting the four elements on the wall of LACMA’s Ahmanson building.

– Another museum that has LA inspired paintings is The Getty Museum. In their collection they have pieces from artists including Jean Dubuffet and Robert Irwin, and they even have a few pieces from LA-based artist Helen Lundeberg. One of her most famous paintings is “The Olympic Tower,” which was inspired by Los Angeles and shows the city’s iconic buildings with an angel hovering over them.

– From modern art to contemporary, one of LA’s newest museums is The Broad museum in Downtown LA. The Broad is unique in that it has no permanent collection. Instead they have a rotating selection of exhibits, with the most famous being “Jasper Johns to Jeff Koons.” This exhibit includes works by artists like Jasper Johns and Damien Hirst along with LA-based artist Richard Jackson who transformed an empty lot into his piece “Untitled (PsychoBarn).”

– Also in downtown LA is the Museum of Contemporary Art. The MOCA’s collection includes work from artists including Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, but it also has a few pieces by Los Angeles artist John Outterbridge who paints large murals that depict black people as heroes or icons. His “Supreme Court” painting is based on the young black women who were at the forefront of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legal battles.

– Another LA artist whose work can be found around town is Ed Ruscha, known for his “word paintings.” His works are inspired by Los Angeles and include pieces like “Highland Ave” which shows a sign from a gas station in LA. He also has pieces that show off his love of cars, like “Standard Station.”

– Finally for this Los Angeles Modern Art: A Guide to the Modern Art Inspired by LA City blog post we have one more piece inspired by Los Angeles and it is located at LACMA (the LA County Museum of Art) as well. The painting, “Portrait of Edith Head,” was painted by LA-based artist Albert York in 1989 and is based on the famous fashion designer who created clothes for classic films like 1939’s “Gone with the Wind.”

That concludes this Los Angeles Modern Art: A Guide to the Modern Art Inspired by LA city.