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Must-Visit Contemporary Art Galleries in LA

The thriving contemporary art scene in Los Angeles rivals those of New York City and Chicago
The thriving contemporary art scene in Los Angeles rivals those of New York City and Chicago | © Robert Landau / Alamy Stock Photo

Gaining fame as an American art capital, Los Angeles is home to a thriving creative scene that rivals those of New York City and Chicago. Head to these seven contemporary art galleries to find out what’s getting the local art lovers excited.

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Honor Fraser Gallery

Art Gallery
The Honor Fraser Gallery, named after its founder, a British fashion model-turned-art dealer and gallerist, opened in 2006 in Venice Beach and relocated to Culver City in 2007. It presents a diverse exhibition program featuring local and international artists at varying stages of their careers. The gallery represents and regularly exhibits work by Brooklyn-based artist and designer KAWS.

Kohn Gallery

Art Gallery

© ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy

A fixture of the Los Angeles contemporary art scene since it was founded by owner Michael Kohn in 1985, the Kohn Gallery is known for its exhibitions of art by globally renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, Dan Flavin and Mark Tansey. The gallery also represents the estate of the late Bruce Conner. The Hollywood-based gallery, which boasts an extensive space complete with a sculpture garden, is also committed to nurturing the talents of up-and-coming artists producing bold, cutting-edge work.

M+B, North Almont Drive

Art Gallery
An intimate, unpretentious gallery located in West Hollywood founded by Benjamin Trigano, M+B has a knack for uncovering emerging local artists and nurturing their careers. While its repertoire of represented artists work in a variety of media, the gallery specializes in photography.

Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles

Art Gallery, Museum
With its practice of exhibiting and selling affordable art by artists from across Europe and the US, Artspace Warehouse is rare in its mission to make quality contemporary art accessible to all. Boasting a centrally located, spacious and modern gallery in Los Angeles, and a sister gallery in Zurich, Switzerland, Artspace Warehouse concentrates on exhibiting one-of-a-kind artworks that fall into the categories of pop, abstract, photographic and urban art.

New Image Art, Los Angeles

Art Gallery
From its beginnings in 1994 as an underground experimental art space specializing in alternative performance art, painting, photography and sculpture, New Image Art has gradually gained a global cult following. Founded by director Marsea Goldberg, the gallery now concentrates on contemporary art with a strong emphasis on subcultures. Street-influenced graphic artist Shepard Fairey and painter Jo Jackson are among the talents whose careers were kick-started with the help of New Image Art.

LA Louver

Art Gallery
Located in vibrant Venice Beach, Louver opened its doors in 1975 and quickly became one of LA’s premier contemporary art venues. The gallery represents an impressive collection of artists, including San Diego-born sculptor Deborah Butterfield and Argentine painter Guillermo Kuitca. It regularly hosts exhibitions featuring talents such as American ceramic artist and sculptor Matt Wedel, and graffiti artist and illustrator Gajin Fujita. The gallery also promotes and celebrates emerging local artists through its Rogue Wave program.

Various Small Fires, Los Angeles

Art Gallery
Named after a 1964 conceptual art book by local artist Ed Ruscha, the Various Small Fires gallery is an homage to LA’s avant-garde art legacy. Set within a space designed by Johnston Marklee Architects, this Hollywood gallery is a reinterpretation of the traditional “white cube” gallery concept. The space includes a sound corridor designed for sound-based art, a roofless outdoor gallery and a large main exhibition room. Despite being a relatively new addition to the LA art scene, the gallery has already worked with a number of well-regarded American and international artists, including New Zealand-born sculptor Anna Sew Hoy and local multimedia artist Scott Benzel.

About the author

Helen Armitage lives near Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England where she recently graduated with a Masters in Magazine Journalism. She enjoys writing about culture, pop culture, feminism and film and her favourite destinations are New York City and Dublin. She is about to embark on a three-month placement in Seville, Spain and in the future would love to visit Reykjavik, Vancouver and New York (again).

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