25 free art museums in and around L.A.
The only thing better than an afternoon of culture? An afternoon of culture that’s free.
With the Museum of Contemporary Art announcing that it will start free admission on Jan. 11, we’ve rounded up a sampling of other art museums in or around L.A. that offer free admission year-round or on select days. Some institutions offer free admission under additional circumstances (to visitors of certain ages, for example, or to active jurors), and some do charge for special exhibitions. Check websites for details.
Free year-round
Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City
Broad museum in downtown L.A. (reservations recommended)
California African American Museum in Exposition Park
Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum, Cal State Long Beach
Fowler Museum at UCLA in Westwood
Getty Center in Brentwood
Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades
Hammer Museum in Westwood
Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles in downtown L.A.
Institute and Museum of California Art at UC Irvine
MOCA in downtown L.A. (starting Jan. 11)
Orange County Museum of Art temporarily relocated to Santa Ana
USC Fisher Museum of Art in University Park
Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College, Monterey Park
Wende Museum in Culver City
Free at select times/days
Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park. Free the second Tuesday of every month.
Craft Contemporary in Mid-Wilshire. Freewill donations every Sunday.
Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. Free on the first Thursday of every month with advance tickets.
Japanese American National Museum in downtown L.A. Free 5-8 p.m. every Thursdays and all day the third Thursday of the month.
Long Beach Museum of Art Free every Thursday after 3 p.m. and half-price all day Friday
Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Mid-Wilshire. Free to everyone on the second Tuesday of every month; free to L.A. County residents every weekdays after 3 p.m.
Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. Free on Sundays and 5-9 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of every month.
Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. Free 5-8 p.m. the first Friday of every month.
Palm Springs Art Museum, free admission 4-8 p.m. every Thursday and all day on the second Sunday of the month
Skirball Cultural Center in Brentwood. Free every Thursday.
The Museum of Contemporary Art announces the 2020 date when general admission becomes free. Here’s a deep dive into what it takes to make that happen.
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