From Studio Ghibli to ‘Jaws:’ The 16 Coolest Museum Exhibitions To Visit In L.A. This Spring

The Academy Museum’s exhibition dedicated to Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo celebrates the artistry of traditional hand-drawn animation through an immersive, oceanic environment. The installation highlights the film’s unique flowing aesthetic and themes of transformation by showcasing over 100 exclusive materials never before seen in North America, including original art boards, animation desks, and Hayao Miyazaki’s personal hand-drawn revisions. Beyond the historical artifacts, the exhibition offers interactive experiences for all ages, featuring an immersive play area for children and an animation table where visitors can experiment with creating their own sequences.

Just as the ’80s and ’90s marked a pivotal period in pop culture and technology, it was also a major moment for automobile culture. Totally Awesome! 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.

The Getty Villa’s refreshed showcase of the Egyptian Book of the Dead displays a rare collection of ancient manuscripts and funerary objects. By illuminating the relationship between the deceased and deities like Re and Osiris, the exhibition delves into the nature of existence through these unique, hand-compiled documents. Accompanying the display are deep-dive presentations that challenge traditional museum portrayals of Egyptian identity.

By showcasing the work of visionary designers like Vivienne Westwood, Gianni Versace, and Jean Paul Gaultier, the ASU FIDM Museum’s new exhibition explores the unique intersection of analog culture and the dawn of the internet. Beyond high-fashion runways, the display examines the broader cultural landscape—including music videos, magazine spreads, and street style—to illustrate how the era’s bold aesthetics reflected a shifting dialogue between individuality and mass culture.

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.

Fútbol Is Life explores the global phenomenon of soccer through the lens of award-winning artist Lyndon J. Barrois, Sr., blending cultural impact and political history with the raw energy of the sport. Using a distinctive mix of hand-built miniature sculpture and stop-motion animation, Barrois utilizes everyday materials like gum wrappers and paint to construct detailed “sportraits.”

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. 

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.

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.

Returning to the California Science Center for its final international tour stop, Mummies of the World: The Exhibition presents a vast collection of naturally and intentionally preserved human and animal remains from Egypt, Europe, and South America. The display features a new selection of mummies never before seen in Los Angeles, accompanied by authentic burial artifacts and specialized mummification tools.

The Hammer Museum’s exhibition, Several Eternities in a Day: Form in the Age of Living Materials, showcases over 100 handcrafted works from Brown and Indigenous artists across the Americas. Centered on the unpredictable nature of organic substances, the collection features large-scale installations and sculptures created from “living” materials that are designed to evolve, decay, and eventually disappear. By doing so, the exhibition explores the deep spiritual and cultural knowledge of Indigenous worlds.

Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind celebrates seven decades of the artist’s pioneering influence on conceptual art, activism, and music. The showcase emphasizes audience participation as a tool for social change, prompting visitors to complete poetic actions or mental exercises. Explore iconic films, materials from her international peace campaigns with John Lennon, and major installations like the Wish Trees for Los Angeles and more.

The Academy Museum’s Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon is an in-depth retrospective celebrating the life and career of one of the Golden Age’s most influential figures. Curated to coincide with her centenary, the exhibition features hundreds of artifacts, including personal letters, rare photographs, and belongings that have never before been seen by the public. The centerpiece of the showcase is an extensive collection of screen-worn costumes, most notably the rarely exhibited pink Travilla gown from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

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.

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.

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.