Los Angeles is home to one of the most diverse and ambitious museum scenes in the country. From iconic spots like the Getty Center to futuristic ones such as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the city offers an unmatched cultural range that spans classical art, contemporary experimentation, science, and pop culture.
Among this crowded landscape of world-class institutions, one museum stands out for a different reason: the extraordinary scale and uniqueness of its collection. That institution is the Autry Museum of the American West, located in Griffith Park.
16 June 2026 10:00 + more dates
According to Visit California, it holds the second-largest collection of Native American artifacts in the United States, surpassed only by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. With more than 600,000 artifacts, the local landmark is one of the most significant repositories of Indigenous cultural heritage in the country.
The Autry Museum history and extensive collection
The Autry was founded in 1988 by actor and singer Gene Autry, with the goal of preserving and sharing the stories of the American West. Over time, it grew through major acquisitions and institutional partnerships, especially after merging with the Southwest Museum of the American Indian’s collections.
The museum’s mission is documenting the complex and often overlooked narratives of the American West. It brings together art, history, and anthropology in a single space, showing both Native and non-Native perspectives.
The collection is the second-largest in the U.S., featuring a wide range of artifacts, from tools, clothing, and ceremonial items to fine art, photography, firearms, and historical documents.
Permanent and rotating exhibitions are designed to show how the American West has been imagined, represented, and lived across different eras, making it both a historical archive and a storytelling space.
Autry Museum of the American West
16 June 2026 10:00 + more dates
