L.A.’s thriving cultural scene offers thought-provoking creativity in every shape and form imaginable. But while there are tons of world-class museums in Los Angeles to lose yourself in all year round, there are a few that stand out as must-sees. From The Broad to LACMA, here are the best museum installations and art exhibits in Los Angeles that you simply cannot miss.
Totally Awesome! Cars and Culture of the ’80s and ’90s
Just as the ’80s and ’90s marked a pivotal period in pop culture and technology, it was also a major moment for automobile culture. This exhibition examines the intersection of motor vehicles with personal expression, technological advancement, and the media landscape during this era. Displays include several stunning Lamborghinis and a video game installation.
🗓️ Dates: Now open
📍 Location: Petersen Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles
🎟️ Tickets: Totally Awesome! is included with general admission to the Petersen Museum
The Kingdom of Pylos: Warrior-Princes of Ancient Greece
The Getty Villa’s post-wildfire reopening goes hand-in-hand with this new exhibition featuring over 230 ancient Mycenaean artifacts from the city of Messenia in Late Bronze Age Greece. See these works on display for the first time outside of Europe, including inscribed clay tablets, wall paintings, and items from the grave of the Griffin Warrior.
🗓️ Dates: June 27, 2025 – Jan. 12, 2026
📍 Location: Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
🎟️ Tickets: The Kingdom of Pylos is included with free admission to the Getty Villa
Jaws: The Exhibition
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws with the Academy Museum’s first-ever large-scale exhibition dedicated to a single film. Jaws: The Exhibition offers an in-depth, scene-by-scene look at the iconic movie, featuring over 200 original objects and artifacts, including costumes, props, and interactive elements. Visitors can explore behind-the-scenes trivia, original schematics of the shark, and insights into John Williams’ legendary score.
🗓️ Dates: Sept. 14, 2025 – July 26, 2026
📍 Location: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
🎟️ Tickets: Jaws: The Exhibition is included with general admission to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Titanic: A Voyage Through Time
Image credit: Titanic: A Voyage Through Time
This groundbreaking VR experience takes guests through the history of the Titanic, starting with a view of the ship’s wreckage on the ocean floor before zooming back in time to recreate the opulence aboard the ship in its prime. Move freely through the ship’s carefully recreated spaces, including the Grand Staircase, and meet characters based on real passengers and crewmembers.
🗓️ Dates: Tickets are available now through October 2025
📍 Location: Beverly Centre, 8th floor, 8500 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
🎟️ Tickets: Get tickets to Titanic: A Voyage Through Time here.
Going Places: Travel in the Middle Ages
Image credit: Villagers on Their Way to Church from Book of Hours, about 1550. Simon Bening (Flemish, about 1483 – 1561). Getty Museum.
This fall exhibition at Los Angeles’ Getty Center explores medieval travel through colorful and detailed illustrations from old manuscripts. It looks at why people traveled back then—whether for religion, trade, diplomacy, or adventure—and how they got around. From realistic portrayals to imaginative interpretations, visitors will enjoy an entertaining glimpse into how people moved through the world during the Middle Ages.
🗓️ Dates: Sept. 2 – Nov. 30, 2025
📍 Location: Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049
🎟️ Tickets: Going Places is included with free admission to the Getty Center
Barbie to Anna Karenina: The Cinematic Worlds of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer
Image credit: Barbie to Anna Karenina: The Cinematic Worlds of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer © Academy Museum Foundation, Photo by: Fredrik Nilsen
Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer make up one of today’s most prolific production design teams, famously working together on such works as Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Anna Karenina, Hanna, Sherlock Holmes, Beauty and the Beast, and Barbie. In this immersive new exhibition at the Academy Museum, visitors will have a chance to learn about how Greenwood and Spencer use production design to evoke each film’s time, place, and character.
🗓️ Dates: May 23, 2025 – Oct. 25, 2026
📍 Location: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
🎟️ Tickets: Barbie to Anna Karenina is included with general admission tickets to the Academy Museum
Fierce! The Story of Cats
This wild exhibition at the Natural History Museum explores the world of felines, from sabertooths to household cats. Learn about their unique behaviors, biology, and evolution through interactive installations, including cultural objects and a display dedicated to the cats of L.A.
🗓️ Dates: July 13, 2025 – February 18, 2026
📍 Location: Natural History Museum – 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007
🎟️ Tickets: Fierce! The Story of Cats is included with general admission to the Natural History Museum
Spider Pavilion
The Natural History Museum is bringing back its popular spider pavilion in time for the Halloween season. Walk through an enclosed outdoor space filled with fascinating spiders and enormous webs, and get a close look at tarantulas, jumping spiders, and even Huntsmans.
🗓️ Dates: Sept. 14 – Nov. 30, 2025
📍 Location: Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007
🎟️ Tickets: The Spider Pavilion requires $10 special tickets in addition to general admission.
A Day with David Bowie
The Santa Monica Art Museum presents A Day with David Bowie. This photography exhibition offers an intimate look at the legendary artist during a reflective day in 1994 at the Art Brut Center Gugging, a celebrated haven for outsider art just outside Vienna. Captured through the lens of Christine de Grancy, these never-before-seen images make their U.S. premiere, revealing a quieter, more personal side of Bowie. And before you leave, be sure to pick up some exclusive Bowie merch in the gift shop!
🗓️ Dates: Now through Nov. 2, 2025
📍 Location: Santa Monica Art Museum (1219 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA 90401)
🎟️ Tickets: A Day with David Bowie is included with general admission to the Santa Monica Art Museum.
Spectacle
Spectacle marks the U.S. premiere of National Geographic’s Rare and Astonishing Photographs, a breathtaking visual journey through the extraordinary. This striking exhibition draws viewers into the beauty, drama, and unpredictability of life on Earth, showcasing rare moments of celebration, chaos, and awe across wildlife, culture, and the natural world.
🗓️ Dates: Now through Nov. 2, 2025
📍 Location: Santa Monica Art Museum – 1219 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA 90401
🎟️ Tickets: Spectacle is included with general admission to the Santa Monica Art Museum.
Made in L.A. 2025
The Hammer Museum presents the seventh rendition of its signature Made in L.A. exhibition, featuring work by 28 local artists. See a collection of works including film, painting, theater, choreography, photography, sculpture, sound, and video, all carefully designed to capture the spirit of L.A.
🗓️ Dates: Oct. 5, 2025 – Mar. 1, 2026
📍 Location: Hammer Museum – 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
🎟️ Tickets: Made in L.A. is included with free admission to the Hammer Museum
Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity
Image credit: Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity. Photo courtesy of the Skirball Cultural Center
Comic book creator Jack Kirby (1917-1994) spent his six-decade career developing some of the most iconic characters of all time, including Captain America, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, X-Men, The Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, and many more. At the same time, he incorporated unmistakable references to current events such as the United States’ involvement in WWII. This retrospective at the Skirball showcases Kirby’s life story alongside over 150 objects from his career, including original illustrations, rare comic books, and more ephemera.
🗓️ Dates: May 1, 2025 – Mar. 1, 2026
📍 Location: Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049
🎟️ Tickets: Jack Kirby is included with general admission to the Skirball.
Director’s Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho
Image credit: ©Academy Museum Foundation, Photo by: Fredrik Nilsen
The Academy Museum invites you to learn about Bong Joon Ho’s creative process, from OKJA to Parasite. The famous Korean director has provided unprecedented access to his personal collection and archive, contributing over 100 original objects on display, including storyboards, film posters, concept art, props, and more.
🗓️ Dates: Mar. 23, 2025 – Jan. 10, 2027
📍 Location: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
🎟️ Tickets: Director’s Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho is viewable with general admission tickets to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Sonic Playground
Image credit: @grammymuseum via Instagram
The GRAMMY Museum has debuted a brand-new exhibition where music lovers can explore 17 interactive music-making spaces. Visitors are welcome to get a close-up look at the music industry from the point of view of a rapper, singer, producer, music supervisor, or voice actor. The hands-on adventure includes cutting-edge technology that guests of all ages can enjoy.
🗓️ Dates: Feb. 14, 2025 – ongoing
📍 Location: GRAMMY Museum, 800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
🎟️ Tickets: Sonic Playground is included with general admission tickets to the GRAMMY Museum.
Cars Are Beautiful: Mr Brainwash @ The Petersen
L.A.-based artist Mr Brainwash (Thierry Guetta) presents a vibrant pop art exhibition that showcases the automobile as a “populist icon of American life.” Explore a colorful cacophony of paintings and sculptures dedicated to cars, which span a range of methods and media, including graffiti, printmaking, and stenciling.
🗓️ Dates: Open now through 2026
📍 Location: Petersen Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles
🎟️ Tickets: Cars Are Beautiful costs $10 on top of the museum’s general admission price.
Reframing Dioramas: The Art of Preserving Wilderness
Image credit: Installation view of Reframing Dioramas: The Art of Preserving Wilderness. Photo by Elon Schoenholz, courtesy of NHMLAC
The Natural History Museum is famous for its life-size diorama halls, displaying over 75 different habitats representing global ecosystems, including the Arctic tundra, the jungles of Tanzania, and the Great Plains of North America. To honor the 100th anniversary of the dioramas, the NHM will reopen a diorama hall that has been closed for decades. See newly restored dioramas that showcase this unique union of art and science.
🗓️ Dates: Sept. 15, 2024 – Sept. 14, 2026
📍 Location: Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007
🎟️ Tickets: Reframing Dioramas is viewable with general admission tickets to the Natural History Museum.
On The Red Carpet
Image credit: On the Red Carpet at the GRAMMY Museum. Photo by Becky Sapp, courtesy of the GRAMMY Museum
See your favorite red carpet looks from the most recent GRAMMYs and Latin GRAMMYs at this brand new ongoing exhibition. Look out for Lizzo’s massive red rose gown from Dolce & Gabbana, Shania Twain’s black and white polka dot suit by Harris Reed, and Harry Styles’ colorful patchwork jumpsuit by Egonlab.
🗓️ Dates: Ongoing
📍 Location: GRAMMY Museum, 800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
🎟️ Tickets: On The Red Carpet is included with general admission tickets to the GRAMMY Museum.