Page 26 - 2024-2025 Travel Guide to California

MUSEUMS & ART
BY LAURIE WEED
STATE OF THE ARTS
The Left Coast pays tribute to art, science and culture
THE CALIFORNIA
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Located in San Francisco’s Golden
Gate Park, this renowned scientific
institution houses a world-class
natural history museum,
planetarium, and aquarium.
Established in 1853, the academy
serves as a hub for research,
education, and conservation,
fostering a deeper understanding
of the natural world through its
diverse exhibits and programs.
Whether you prefer to ogle modern art
or antiquities, Ice Age fossils or space
shuttles, the Golden State’s wealth of
world-class museums awaits. With more than
1,000 museums of all sizes across the state,
there’s a lifetime of fine art, science, history
and culture to explore, as well as weird and
wonderful collections for every imaginable
niche-interest, from Star Wars memorabilia
to the legends of Bigfoot. While it’s impos-
sible to do them all justice here, we’ve
attempted to highlight the best of the best.
The Arts
Visiting LA? It’s easy to spend hours in the
West’s largest art museum, the Los Angeles
County Museum of Art (LACMA). Down-
town, the Museum of Contemporary Art
and Geffen Contemporary (MOCA Grand
and MOCA Geffen, respectively) showcase
the best in art created after 1940 in all
media. The Institute of Contemporary Art
(ICA LA) is housed downtown to great
acclaim. The renowned Getty Center in the
Brentwood district includes art from the
Middle Ages to today set amid modern
architecture and gardens. Getty Villa in
Malibu focuses on Greek and Roman clas-
sical art. Pasadena’s Norton Simon displays
European and Modern artists amid a serene
sculpture garden. In nearby San Marino,
The Huntington features an impressive
library, art collections and 130 acres of
themed botanical gardens.
KIT LEONG/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: VISIT PASADENA; CITYPASS
24 2024-25 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA