The Getty Villa, located in Santa Monica, showcases art pieces that J. Paul Getty collected

throughout his life. Situated on the cliff sides of coastal L.A., the villa is modeled after the Villa dei Papiri in Italy and boasts ocean views and lush green landscaping. According to the Getty’s website, much of the original Villa dei Papiri “remains excavated. Therefore, architects based many of the Museum’s architectural and landscaping details on elements from other ancient Roman houses.” Getty’s collection encapsulates hundreds of marble statues and precious jewelry dating back to ancient Greece, Rome, and other places in Europe. The true star of the show is Getty Villa’s attention to detail in its architecture and design. Reminiscent of the Italian countryside, the Getty’s courtyard and fountains feel like the epitome of a European summer. Well-restored works from ancient Greece and Rome decorate the hallways and exhibitions. The Getty Villa’s changing exhibitions bring variety to the museum’s collections. Currently, the Villa displays porcelain from Versailles and jewels from ancient Sudan. Admission to the Getty Villa is free, and the museum is within close proximity to other attractions such as the Santa Monica Pier and Malibu.

The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) recently reopened to the public, relocating
from their Newport Beach location to Costa Mesa. The museum’s newly designed structure
boasts a modern exterior featuring multiple windows designed to bring in natural light, and
glass staircases that overlook the museum. The museum revealed a new exhibit on Feb 14: Daniel Arsham’s “Wherever You Go, There You Are” and “13 Women: Variation II”. Senior Audrey Ainsworth expressed her excitement about OCMA opening. “My friends and I went to their opening night…we waited in line for a while for the grand opening,” Ainsworth said. For a museum that opened recently, the OCMA experiences a large influx of visitors of all ages. The OCMA sits next to the well-established Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and is surrounded by other performing arts theaters. Admission to the museum is free through the next ten years, thanks to generous donors, so local art is accessible to a wider group of people. “I think it’s nice that [the OCMA] is so nearby, and I’m looking forward to seeing what exhibits they have to show in the future,” Ainsworth said.

The Broad, located in Downtown L.A., is certainly a noticeable structure.
The white, skeletal exterior makes The Broad a place of interest.

Founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, the museum features works of art from influential artists such as Andy Warhol and Takashi Murakami, and also displays works from modern artists. According to The Broad’s website, The Broad makes its collection of contemporary art from the 1950s to the present accessible to the widest possible audience by presenting exhibitions and operating a lending program to art museums and galleries worldwide.” With this initiative to make contemporary art accessible to more people, there is no admission fee to visit this museum. Their most famous art installation is Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms, which is an immersive experience in a room filled with mirrors and colorful blinking lights. These Infinity Rooms are available to the public periodically throughout the year, and require a reservation in advance, also free of charge. Their permanent collection “is home to nearly 2,000 works in the Broad collection by more than 200 artists, and is one of the world’s leading collections of postwar and contemporary art.” Some other notable pieces displayed in The Broad are Robert Therrien’s ‘Under the Table’, a supersized table and chairs people can walk under, and Jeff Koons’ ‘Tulips’, a massive balloon shaped structure.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, more commonly referred to as LACMA, sits on Wilshire

Blvd in LA. According to the LACMA website, “LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 149,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe.” Boasting a modern and futuristic exterior, LACMA is bordered by multiple tar excavation pits andis within close proximity to the La Brea Tar Pits Museum and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The museum highlights pieces from all sorts of artists, whether they are internationally recognized or local. However, the most famous piece of art displayed at LACMA is the public art installation
“Urban Lights”. “Urban Lights” is a section outside of the actual museum by the street which has rows and rows of restored street lamps from the 1920s, and is a very popular tourist attraction in Los Angeles. LACMA’s commitment to showcase artists all around the county is apparent in that the museum displays over 150,000 works of art. Ticket prices range from free to $25, and walk up tickets sell out, so it is recommended that visitors buy tickets and reserve times ahead of time.