This list of museums in Los Angeles is a list of museums located within the City of Los Angeles, defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.
To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.
See also: List of museums in Los Angeles County, California.
See also: List of museums in California.
| Name | Image | Community | Type | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Architecture and Design Museum, changing exhibits, information and education center about architecture, interior design, landscape design, fashion design and product design | |||
| Media | Museum dedicated to the motion picture arts and the Oscars Award ceremony. Located at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue (formerly the May Department Store) LACMA Campus. | |||
| Firefighting | Vintage fire apparatus, stories, pictures, memorabilia of pioneering African American Los Angeles firefighters | |||
| Annenberg Space for Photography | Photography | Changing exhibits of digital and print photography | ||
| Art | Platt and Borstein Art Galleries, Smalley Sculpture Garden | |||
| Historic house | Operated by the San Fernando Valley Historical Society | |||
| Art | Also known as the Hammer Museum, collection includes French 19th-century masters, European old master paintings, American artists from the 18th to 20th centuries, works by 19th-century French satirist Honoré Daumier and contemporaries, sculpture and contemporary art | |||
| Culture | Museum dedicated to the art, history, and cultures of the American West. Established in 2003 following the merger of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Women of the West Museum, and the Museum of the American West (formerly the Autry Museum of Western Heritage) | |||
| Downtown | Historic house | Oldest standing residence in Los Angeles, part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument | ||
| Historic house | Victorian mansion of Phineas Banning | |||
| Art | Includes the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, and Hollyhock House | |||
| Battleship USS Iowa Museum | Military | Operated by the Pacific Battleship Center, the served during WWII, Korean War, and the Cold War, and hosted 3 presidents (President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Ronald Reagan, and President George H. W. Bush.) | ||
| Art | Contemporary art gallery of Otis College of Art and Design | |||
| Culver City | Art/Religion | Diorama displays illustrating the Bhagavad-gita, owned and operated by ISKCON | ||
| Local history | Operated by the Little Landers Historical Society | |||
| The Broad Museum | Art | A contemporary art museum built by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad | ||
| Cal State Northridge Art Galleries | Art | Main, Summer and West galleries[1] | ||
| California State University, Los Angeles Luckman Fine Arts Complex and Fine Arts Gallery | Art | Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex for visual and performing arts,[2] and the Fine Arts Gallery in Building 9 that is part of the Department of Art[3] | ||
| African American | ||||
| California Science Center | Exposition Park | Science | ||
| Historic house | ||||
| Catalina Island Museum | Avalon | Art and History Museum | Founded in 1953; Santa Catalina Island's only museum | |
| Historic house | ||||
| Historic house | Operated by the Chatsworth Historical Society at the Homestead Acre, late 19th-century homesteader's cottage known as the Hill-Palmer Cottage | |||
| Downtown | Ethnic – Chinese | History and experience of Chinese Americans in the state of California, also fine art exhibits, part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument | ||
| Folk Art | Located in Museum Row | |||
| Destination Crenshaw | Crenshaw Boulevard, Hyde Park | Cultural | Under-construction 1.3adj=midNaNadj=mid open-air museum preserving the history and culture of African Americans | |
| Science | Located by Hansen Dam, the museum for children to learn about science | |||
| Wilmington | Civil War | Civil War-era military facility with museum containing camp models, period displays | ||
| Downtown | Multiple | Includes Olvera Street, Avila Adobe, Chinese American Museum, Italian American Museum of Los Angeles, Plaza Firehouse Museum, Sepulveda House, changing exhibits in El Pueblo Gallery, Pico House, Hellman/Quon building | ||
| Downtown | Textile | Costumes, accessories, textiles & perfume | ||
| Flying | Aircraft, models, photos, displays, school tours, and special programs. Library includes rare industry magazines dating to World War II and before, aircraft manuals, and historic photographs | |||
| History | Houses the Hall Of Liberty American History Museum | |||
| Military | History of the fort and its role in defending the Los Angeles area | |||
| Cultural | Part of UCLA, collections include art, ethnographic and archaeological objects representing prehistoric, historic, and contemporary cultures of Africa, Native and Latin America, and Asia and the Pacific | |||
| Westwood | Art | Sculpture garden located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles and is run by the Hammer Museum. | ||
| Art | Estate and gardens with collection of 20th-century art, open by appointment on guided tours | |||
| Downtown | Art | Located in Little Tokyo district, branch of Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles | ||
| Art | One site of the J. Paul Getty Museum, exhibits classical sculpture and art, European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture, decorative arts and photography | |||
| Cultural | Another site of the J. Paul Getty Museum, arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome and Etruria | |||
| Downtown | Music | Located at L.A. Live, history of the Grammy Awards and music artifacts | ||
| ` | Downtown | Historic house | website, turn-of-the century Queen Anne house | |
| Science | Exhibits include astronomy, planets, stars, the cosmos, gravity, the sun and moon | |||
| Hollywood | Entertainment | website, located on Hollywood Boulevard and featuring world record breaking facts and feats. | ||
| Open air | Eight structures tell the story of the settlement and development of Southern California from the Civil War to the early 20th Century | |||
| Historic house | Operated by the Chatsworth Historical Society, also known as the Homestead Acre | |||
| Hollywood | Media | Gallery of photos from performers at the Hollywood Bowl, audio and video clips, memorabilia | ||
| Hollywood | History | Archival photographs from silent movie picture productions, movie props, historic documents and movie memorabilia | ||
| Hollywood | Media | Over 10,000 historical costumes, props, models, set pieces and more from movies and movie stars, located in the Max Factor building | ||
| Hollywood | Wax | Wax figures of media stars, fictional characters, famous politicians and a Chamber of Horrors | ||
| Downtown | Art | Non-profit exhibition and performance space | ||
| Downtown | Cultural | Part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, history and contributions of Italian Americans in Los Angeles | ||
| Downtown | Ethnic – Japanese | Japanese American history, culture and art, located in Little Tokyo | ||
| Art | Art gallery and stained glass workshops | |||
| Westwood | History | website Part of UCLA, birthplace and early history of the Internet where the first node of the ARPANET (a network that laid foundations for the modern Internet) was sent | ||
| Korean Cultural Center | Ethnic – Korean | Korean history and culture, changing exhibits of traditional and contemporary art | ||
| Downtown | Ethnic | Mexican-American experience in Los Angeles and Southern California, art and culture, reconstruction of 1920's Main Street vignettes | ||
| Claremont | Sports and Hollywood Memorabilia | website Legends' Attic is a premier Sports and Hollywood memorabilia gallery and store offering a unique blend of rare and iconic collectibles, creating an immersive experience for fans and collectors. | ||
| Hollywood | Art | Also known as LACE, contemporary art exhibition space and archive of the visual arts for the city of Los Angeles | ||
| Art | Includes Pavilion for Japanese Art, collections of African, Ancient Americas, American, Middle Eastern, Chinese and Korean, Contemporary, Egyptian, European, Latin American and Asian art, costumes & textiles, decorative arts and design, photography | |||
| Various | Firefighting | Old Fire Station 27 is located on Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, history of the department, antique equipment and fire engines; Old Fire Station 36 is located in San Pedro, also called the Harbor Museum | ||
| Railroad | Located next to Travel Town Museum, operates 7½" gauge model trains for visitors to ride, includes Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn | |||
| Maritime | Local maritime, diving and fishing industries, ship models, sailor's artifacts, local history, | |||
| Art | Located in Barnsdall Art Park, focus is arts and artists of Southern California | |||
| History | Located in Pan Pacific Park, dedicated to educating the public and commemorating those who survived and who were lost | |||
| Law enforcement | Artifacts include photos, uniforms, badges, squad cars, a paddy wagon, and bullet-riddled vehicles | |||
| History | Area agriculture history and historic adobe house | |||
| Historic house | Early 20th century rock house, also known as El Alisal | |||
| Hollywood | Wax | |||
| The Main Museum of Los Angeles Art | Downtown L.A. | Art | Museum dedicated to the art and artists of Los Angeles | |
| Contemporary Art | ||||
| Religious | Includes the Archival Center Museum of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, history of the archdiocese including exhibits about archbishops and cardinals, papal collection, art, missions, religious objects | |||
| Muller House | Historic house | 1899 Colonial Revival house, operated by the San Pedro Bay Historical Society[4] | ||
| Downtown | Art | Main branch is located on Grand Avenue in Museum Row, Geffen Contemporary is in the Little Tokyo district of Downtown Los Angeles, and Pacific Design Center facility is in West Hollywood | ||
| Hollywood | Criminology | Located on Hollywood Boulevard, death and related topics including funerals, murder, and capital punishment | ||
| Multiple | Unusual collection of exhibits and objects with varying and uncertain degrees of authenticity | |||
| Museum of the San Fernando Valley | Multiple | Website, history, art, and culture of the San Fernando Valley | ||
| Hollywood | Photography | website Interactive exhibits including the Upside Down Room, throne from Game of Thrones, red carpet walk, etc. | ||
| History | World racism & prejudice with a strong focus on the history of the Holocaust | |||
| Natural history | Displays include animal habitats, dinosaurs, pre-Columbian cultures and the Ralph M. Parsons Discovery Center and Insect Zoo | |||
| Automobile | Over 130 antique, classic and special interest automobiles | |||
| Historic house | Home of architect Richard Neutra | |||
| Natural history | Fossils housed in the George C. Page Museum, located in Museum Row | |||
| Downtown | LGBT Art & History | Repository of LGBT materials, presents exhibitions at its main location near the University of Southern California | ||
| Oran Z's Pan African Black Facts & Wax Museum | African American | website, wax figures, cultural artifacts from throughout the African world, black memorabilia, Blacks in advertising, Negro League baseball history, autographs, historical artifacts, reference library | ||
| Transportation | Vintage automobiles, history of autos in Los Angeles, automotive art, artifacts and memorabilia, located in Museum Row | |||
| Downtown | Firefighting | Part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, late 19th to early 20th century firefighting equipment, apparatus, photos, located in a historic firehouse | ||
| Maritime | Restored lighthouse museum | |||
| Hollywood | Religious | Owned and operated by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, an anti-psychiatry organization founded by the Church of Scientology | ||
| Biographical | Also known as the Ralph Bunche Peace & Heritage Center | |||
| Downtown | Art | Exhibition venue of the California Institute of the Arts, with public art gallery | ||
| Ripley's Believe It or Not! | Hollywood | Entertainment | Located on Hollywood Boulevard | |
| Downtown | Local history | Part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, historic house and visitor center with exhibits about the area | ||
| Jewish | Home of the Skirball Museum with exhibits about Jewish culture, accomplishments and the history of the Jewish people in the United States | |||
| Art | Community art center and gallery website | |||
| Native American | Galleries are closed for rehabilitation, but the museum still offers programs, events and a gift shop; now part of the Autry National Center | |||
| Maritime | Second World War Victory ship preserved as a museum ship | |||
| Travel Town Museum | Railroad | Steam locomotives and other rolling stock | ||
| USC Fisher Museum of Art | Art | Contemporary and old master exhibitions | ||
| Downtown | Art | Collection of velvet paintings | ||
| Art | Outdoor folk art tower sculptures and adjacent Watts Towers Arts Center | |||
| Historic house | Ranch home of Will Rogers | |||
| Zimmer Children's Museum | Children's | website | ||