Los Angeles County Museum of Art
About LACMA
Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western
United States, with a collection of more than 142,000 objects that illuminate
6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Committed to showcasing a
multitude of art histories, LACMA exhibits and interprets works of art from new
and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural
heritage and diverse population. LACMA’s spirit of experimentation is reflected
in its work with artists, technologists, and thought leaders as well as in its
regional, national, and global partnerships to share collections and programs,
create pioneering initiatives, and engage new audiences.
Mission
LACMA’s mission is to serve the public through the collection, conservation,
exhibition, and interpretation of significant works of art from a broad range of
cultures and historical periods, and through the translation of these
collections into meaningful educational, aesthetic, intellectual, and cultural
experiences for the widest array of audiences.
History
LACMA has its roots in the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science, and Art,
established in 1910 in Exposition Park. In 1961, the Los Angeles County Museum
of Art became a separate, art-focused institution. LACMA opened its new Wilshire
Boulevard location to the public in 1965, with the permanent collection in the
Ahmanson Building, special exhibitions in the Hammer Building, and the 600-seat
Bing Theater for public programs.
In the ensuing decades, both the campus and the collection grew considerably.
The Anderson Building (renamed the Art of the Americas building in 2007) opened
in 1986 to house modern and contemporary art. The Bruce Goff-designed Pavilion
for Japanese Art opened in 1988 at the east end of campus. In 1994, the museum
acquired the May Company department store building at the corner of Wilshire and
Fairfax, which is now home to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, slated to
open in 2019.
Since 2007, the museum has doubled its exhibition program, audience, and its
campus, and has operated a satellite gallery at Charles White Elementary School
in MacArthur Park, where LACMA presents museum-caliber exhibitions and programs
in partnership with the school and surrounding communities.
In recent years, LACMA has committed to expanding, upgrading, and unifying the
museum’s 20-acre campus through the addition of new buildings, including the
Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) (2008) and the Lynda and Stewart Resnick
Exhibition Pavilion (2010), as well as monumental public artworks and open-air
gathering places for the community. Now, LACMA is focusing on replacing four
aging buildings on the east campus with a new home for the permanent collection.
Building LACMA
e-winning architect Peter Zumthor, this new building, named the David Geffen
Galleries, is the long-anticipated culmination of over a decade of
transformation.
The horizontal design of the David Geffen Galleries will place art from all
areas of LACMA’s encyclopedic collection on the same level, so that no single
culture, tradition, or era is given more stature than any other. This new
building will enable a rotating series of exhibitions rather than a fixed
presentation of the collection, offering visitors a multitude of avenues to
explore our common humanity.
LACMA’s new building will complete a revitalized corridor of cultural
institutions along Wilshire Boulevard that make up L.A.’s museum mile, including
the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, the Craft and Folk Art Museum, the Petersen
Automotive Museum, and the future Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Corporate Governance
Per the Los Angeles County Code and various operating agreements, Museum
Associates, a nonprofit public benefit corporation organized under the laws of
the state of California, manages, operates, and maintains LACMA. Museum
Associates, dba Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is governed by a board of
trustees which sets policy and determines the museum’s strategic direction.
Museum Associates is an exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code and is classified as a public charity under section
509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations to Museum Associates (LACMA or
Los Angeles County Museum of Art) are deductible under Section 170 of the Code,
to the extent permitted under applicable law.
Private Tours
Tours for Visitors with Special Needs
LACMA is committed to providing learning experiences for kids, teens, and adults of all abilities. Complimentary tours for visitors with special needs focus on different areas of LACMA's collection and last about 50 minutes. Tours must be arranged at least three weeks in advance and depend on the availability of LACMA's trained art docents.Please call 323 857-6109 or email educate@lacma.org for more information.
The museum also offers wheelchairs for use. Wheelchairs can be picked up at any Ticket Office. There is no additional charge; photo identification is required.
Corporate Tours
If you are a corporation looking to host a tour at LACMA, you must be an existing corporate partner or member. To learn more about our partnership opportunities or to become a member, please contact us at corporate@lacma.org.
Partnerships
LACMA can provide your company with a uniquely valuable partnership and the opportunity to align your brand with a premiere encyclopedic art museum. Whether it is through the sponsorship of an exhibition, event, content series, or educational program, or by joining our corporate membership program, LACMA's partners receive exceptional exposure to a broad demographic of visitors and donors, high-profile brand recognition, unique hospitality opportunities, and exclusive events.
To learn more about Corporate Partnership opportunities, or for a custom proposal, please contact us at corporate@lacma.org.
LACMA
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90036
323 857-6000
publicinfo@lacma.org
Education & Public
Programs
323 857-6512
educate@lacma.org
Membership
323 857-6151
membership@lacma.org
Ticket Office
323 857-6010
boxoffice@lacma.org
Education & Public
Programs
323 857-6512
educate@lacma.org
Library
323 857-6118
library@lacma.org
Rights and
Reproductions
rights@lacma.org
