5 Best Art Galleries in Los Angeles (2026)

The Broad is a contemporary art museum in downtown Los Angeles offering free general admission to its permanent collection galleries, with rotating exhibitions requiring advance reservations. Its holdings include major contemporary artists, and the museum's striking architecture is often called out as part of the experience before visitors even reach the artwork. It runs an active program of special exhibitions alongside the standing collection.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, known as LACMA, is the largest art museum in the western United States, with recently opened new galleries and a collection spanning paintings, sculpture, photography and contemporary installations. It sits next to the La Brea Tar Pits and includes live performance programming alongside its exhibitions. LACMA carries the largest review count of any gallery or museum on this list.

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, known as MOCA, was established in 1979 as the only artist-founded museum in the city, dedicated to collecting and exhibiting contemporary work. Its Grand Avenue location runs a program of rotating exhibitions alongside its permanent collection, with general admission free to visitors. Reviewers describe the space as bold and thought-provoking, sitting within walking distance of The Broad and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Hauser & Wirth occupies a renovated historic flour mill in the Arts District, combining exhibition rooms, a bookstore, an on-site restaurant and a courtyard with a garden, all housed in a distinctive industrial-to-gallery conversion. The space runs rotating exhibitions across several rooms alongside a screening room, and reviewers frequently mention the casual, welcoming atmosphere that extends beyond just viewing art. It sits among the higher-reviewed commercial galleries in the city.

The Los Angeles Makery is an artist-run gallery and retail space across three floors of the Little Tokyo Arts Tower, founded in 2021 by David Lovejoy, Cathi Milligan and Cathy Immordino. It hosts a rotating mix of curated and owner-produced shows, alongside studio space, a membership program and workshops covering everything from jewelry making to photography. It holds a perfect 5.0 rating from reviewers who describe it as an intimate, welcoming space.