Art-Exhibitions-SoCal

Drawn from LACMA’s collection, California Collectives examines the influence of Asian American artistic networks in California between 1924 and 1965—a period marked by the rise of anti-immigration and anti-Asian laws. Yet amid xenophobia and racial discrimination, California-based artists of Asian descent formed thriving collectives and staged high-profile exhibitions across the Golden State. Featuring more than 50 works by American artists of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Filipino heritage, including several new...

From MacArthur Park, with Love celebrates the neighborhood of MacArthur Park—its past, present, and future—through the perspectives of more than 100 students enrolled at Charles White Visual Arts LACMA Magnet. Discover something new about the neighborhood through maps by first graders and observational drawings by students in Art Club; see local birds as observed by second graders; explore community through portraits by third graders; learn about culture and food through...

Launched by brothers Alonzo Davis and Dale Brockman Davis in the wake of the 1965 Watts Rebellion, the Brockman Gallery in South L.A. was central to the development of the Black Arts Movement in Los Angeles. Act on It! brings together works by artists who exhibited at the Brockman Gallery (1967–90), which served as a critical nexus for emerging artists of color and contributed to a growing network of Black-run...

Before You Now focuses on the enduring theme of the artist's self-portrait, as seen in a selection of works from LACMA’s collections of photographs, prints, drawings, videos, and installation art. Primarily featuring contemporary makers, the exhibition is an introduction to seeing American artists as they see themselves—or as they want to be seen by their public. They are shown contemplating their physicality in realistic fashion, highlighting their persona through symbolic...

From its beginnings in the late 1800s, photography has idealized the natural world. Photography elevated the pristine environment, evoking the sublime and motivating the protection of natural beauty. Simultaneously, photographic land surveys acted as guides on how to exploit nature, whether through infrastructure, extraction, or armed forces, determining who was displaced. In the Anthropocene—the current geological age in which human activity has been the dominant influence on the environment—lens-based artists...

Rufino Tamayo (1899–1991) was a leading Mexican artist of the 20th century who achieved international acclaim. He became known primarily for his paintings and murals, but also created a robust body of works on paper, which provided an important avenue for formal and technical innovation. Drawn exclusively from LACMA’s holdings, this exhibition highlights Tamayo’s engagement with printmaking and also includes a selection of Mesoamerican sculpture from the museum’s collection, an...

The act of coming together to partake of a meal is a practice shared by all cultures. Food defines us—we are what we eat. This companion exhibition to Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting addresses the universal importance of food through Islamic art and dining culture. With approximately 60 works from LACMA’s expansive collection of Islamic art related to the sourcing, preparation, serving, and consumption of food...

Designer and artist Awazu Kiyoshi (1929–2009) devoted his career to political advocacy and collaborations within Tokyo’s artistic community. In stark contrast to the prevailing modernist dogma, which sought universal and impersonal set of symbols, Awazu imbued his expressive, hand-drawn designs with local traditions. He argued that the designer’s mission was “to extend the rural into the city, foreground the folklore, reawaken the past, summon back the outdated.”

Awazu Kiyoshi Graphic...