{"id":234659,"date":"2026-03-24T20:55:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T20:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/234659\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T20:55:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T20:55:17","slug":"12-art-exhibitions-to-check-out-this-spring-in-l-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/234659\/","title":{"rendered":"12 art exhibitions to check out this spring in L.A."},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring is officially here (though it already feels like summer), wildflowers<\/a> are in bloom and the city\u2019s best museums<\/a> are busy prepping a slate of new spring shows. From a Sublime retrospective to tech-savvy tapestries to the long-awaited opening<\/a> of LACMA\u2019s David Geffen Galleries, here are 12 exhibitions we can\u2019t wait to check out when they open. (And for even more shows that will be opening later this year, check out our guide to the 22 exhibitions we\u2019re most excited about<\/a> in 2026.)<\/p>\n

Psst: You can see nearly all of our picks below without having to pay for admission if you brush up on L.A.\u2019s free museum days<\/a> first.<\/p>\n

\"The
\nPhotograph: Courtesy GRAMMY MuseumSublime. <\/p>\n

\u201cSublime: Straight From Long Beach\u201d<\/a>
Grammy Museum, March 27\u2013Sept 7<\/p>\n

Any time of year, the distinctly Southern California band Sublime is \u201cwell-qualified to represent the L.B.C.\u201d\u2014including in the springtime, when this exhibition at the Grammy Museum opens, exploring the band\u2019s legacy and how their hometown of Long Beach shaped their sound. After skyrocketing to fame in the \u201990s for their unique blend of reggae, punk, ska and alt-rock, the trio tragically lost its lead singer, Bradley Nowell, right before the release of their self-titled third album; today, Nowell\u2019s son, Jakob, tours with his dad\u2019s former bandmates. See memorabilia including handwritten lyrics to hits including \u201cWrong Way,\u201d a bucket hat worn by Nowell, and instruments and equipment used by the band\u2019s original lineup. A special public program is planned for July 30\u2014exactly 30 years to the day the album came out.<\/p>\n

\"Artist
\nPhotograph: Courtesy William Turner GalleryGuillermo Bert. <\/p>\n

\u201cGuillermo Bert: Techno-Empathy\u201d<\/a>
Museum of Latin American Art, Opening March 29<\/p>\n

Chile-born, Los Angeles\u2013based multidisciplinary artist Guillermo Bert combines art, technology and social consciousness in his works, with unexpected and thought-provoking results. He often tackles the themes of consumerism and displacement\u2014think 3-D printed life-size sculptures of workers or laser-engraved portraits of migrants and refugees. In his Encoded Textiles series, which you can see in the exhibition, tapestries sport QR codes woven into them that share Indigenous stories; scan one with your phone, and you\u2019ll be shown a short documentary that gives a glimpse into each weaver\u2019s life, directed by Bert.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral Eternities in a Day: Form in the Age of Living Materials\u201d<\/a>
Hammer Museum, April 5\u2013Aug 23<\/p>\n

The multisensory nature of art is explored in this exhibition, which looks at the intertwined relationship between contemporary art and living materials through large-scale installations, painting, mixed-media sculpture, video and sound. Over 20 artists from North, Central and South America have employed mediums like stones, avocado, cacao, achiote, cochineal and clay in their works, inviting visitors to engage their senses of touch, smell and hearing when interacting with the art.<\/p>\n

\""Free
\nCourtesy the Lisbet Tellefsen Papers, General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale UniversityThe Ach\u00e9 Project march, San Francisco, ca. 1990s from “Free and Queer: Black Californian Roots of Gay Liberation.” <\/p>\n

\u201cFree and Queer: Black Californian Roots of Gay Liberation\u201d<\/a>
California African American Museum, April 7, 2026\u2013Feb 28, 2027<\/p>\n

This show aims to give Black queer culture in California\u2014particularly in Los Angeles\u2014the credit it\u2019s due as a part of the decades-long fight for LGBTQ+ rights and recognition. Through historical materials, photographs, film and vintage newspapers, the exhibition recovers a history that\u2019s been largely excluded from the record, introducing visitors to sites, protagonists and allies who played a role in the fight for democracy and free expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"David
\nPhotograph: Michael Juliano for Time OutDavid Geffen Galleries at LACMA. <\/p>\n

David Geffen Galleries<\/a>
LACMA, opening April 19<\/p>\n

In the works for well over a decade and under construction since 2020, the David Geffen Galleries, a single-building replacement for LACMA\u2019s eastern campus, will finally welcome museumgoers this spring: The expansion opens to LACMA members on April 19, and two weeks later, on May 4, it\u2019ll open to the public. The Peter Zumthor\u2013designed amoeba-shaped structure will have shopping and restaurant spaces on the ground floor, while its sprawling single floor of galleries\u2014boasting 110,000 square feet of\u00a0exhibition space\u2014floats above both sides of Wilshire Boulevard. The inaugural installation will boast works spanning the entire range of art history, but they\u2019ll be divided by geography\u2014by the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea\u2014rather than time period or medium, in order to emphasize the role of cultural exchange in art. You can get a sneak peek at the\u00a0pieces as\u00a0they\u2019re installed on LACMA\u2019s Instagram<\/a>. Look out for a block party<\/a>\u2014with free museum admission\u2014on June 20, as well as a parade of mobile art installations and performances to cap off the day..<\/p>\n

\u201cOrcas: Our Shared Future\u201d<\/a>
Natural History Museum, April 26, 2026\u2013April 25, 2027<\/p>\n

In a post-Blackfish world, a visit to SeaWorld\u2019s<\/a> Orca Encounter may not be on your to-do list, but you can explore the world of killer whales guilt-free at the Natural History Museum\u2019s upcoming exhibition, which doesn\u2019t feature live animals but instead looks at the history, culture and science behind these gentle giants. In the underwater-inspired experience, you\u2019ll find life-size orca replicas, educational installations and masks and sculptures by Indigenous artists of the Pacific Northwest Coast, demonstrating the ties between orcas and Northwest Coast First Nations. Note: Tickets for the special exhibition aren\u2019t included in general admission to NHM.<\/p>\n

\"Assorted
\nPhotograph: Courtesy Skirball Cultural Center <\/p>\n

\u201cInventing America: The Comic Book Revolution\u201d<\/a>
The Skirball Cultural Center, May 20, 2026\u2013Feb 28, 2027<\/p>\n

The Skirball\u2019s Jack Kirby<\/a> exhibition may be over, but in its place you\u2019ll find this look at how comics came to dominate pop culture. Many of the creators of the medium were immigrants and outsiders\u2014including Jewish Americans\u2014who poured their experiences with struggle, aspiration and reinvention into their work. From the Great Depression through Y2K, comics reflected the national moment and actually helped shape American identity. On display will be original artwork and rare artifacts relating to beloved comic book characters, from Black Panther and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Little Lulu and Archie.<\/p>\n

The two other concurrent special exhibitions are worth checking out as well: \u201cOutsiders, Outcasts, Rebels, and Weirdos: Punk Culture 1976\u201386<\/a>,\u201d which marks the 50th anniversary of punk in the U.S. with a look back at the role Jewish punk musicians played, and \u201cRobert Russell and Lisa Edelstein: A Palace in Time<\/a>,\u201d displaying new paintings that make up a portrait of Jewish life by actor-artist Edelstein and her husband.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoko Ono: Music of the Mind\u201d<\/a>
The Broad, May 23\u2013Oct 11<\/p>\n

The inimitable artist, musician and activist\u2014and John Lennon\u2019s other half\u2014is the subject of the Broad\u2019s highly anticipated upcoming show, Ono\u2019s first-ever solo museum exhibition in Southern California. Organized in collaboration with the Tate Modern in London, \u201cMusic of the Mind\u201d will allow visitors to directly interact with works from the artist\u2019s seven-decade long career, reflecting Ono\u2019s belief that art can both be made and live within the mind. In conjunction with the show, the museum will transform the olive trees on the outdoor East West Bank Plaza into Wish Trees for Los Angeles, where visitors can tie their own wishes on the branches. Many of the works invite audience engagement, in fact, all working toward a common goal of peace and connection. Also on display will be Acorn Event (1968) and Bed Peace (1969) anti-war works of activism Ono and Lennon worked on together. Ticket info is still to come, so you\u2019ll want to keep an eye on the museum\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cZhang Enli\u201d<\/a>
Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood, May 28\u2013Aug 22<\/p>\n

Chinese artist Zhang Enli is known for his paintings that capture everyday objects in imaginative ways, but in his first West Coast solo exhibition, held at the West Hollywood location of gallery Hauser & Wirth, a new series of his abstract portraits will be on display. Enli draws from both Eastern and Western traditions to capture the essence of his subjects rather than obvious depictions.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife, Liberty, and Los Angeles\u201d<\/a>
Autry Museum of the American West, May 30, 2026\u2013Jan 31, 2027<\/p>\n

This L.A.-centric exhibition looks at the Declaration of Independence\u2019s promise of life, liberty and happiness, and how that promise has been fulfilled\u2014or not\u2014throughout the city\u2019s development. Told via the stories of diverse Angelenos alongside historical and contemporary objects, media and art, the show \u201cinvites you to step into a conversation that has been shaping Los Angeles for over two hundred years.\u201d Also of note this upcoming year at the Autry is \u201cNative Skate<\/a>,\u201d which opens September 18 and traces both skateboarding\u2019s Southern California origins and the importance of the sport in Indigenous communities, especially among Native youth.<\/p>\n

\"Marilyn
\nPhotograph: Baron\/Hulton Archive\/Getty ImagesMarilyn Monroe <\/p>\n

\u201cMarilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon\u201d<\/a>
Academy Museum, May 31, 2026\u2013Feb 28, 2027<\/p>\n

Just in time for silver screen starlet Marilyn Monroe\u2019s 100th birthday, the Academy Museum will present a centennial celebration dedicated to the woman and her work, offering \u201cunique insight into her agency in becoming a Hollywood icon.\u201d In addition to posters, portraits, letters and rarely seen personal items, highlights from the exhibition include two screen-worn costumes from Some Like It Hot and the rarely exhibited famous pink dress Monroe wore in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.<\/p>\n

\"Gallery
\n\u00a9Refik Anadol Studio for DatalandGallery C \u2013 Infinity Room at DATALAND <\/p>\n

Dataland<\/a>
Opening in spring 2026<\/p>\n

Though originally scheduled to open in 2025, Dataland\u2014the world\u2019s first museum of AI Arts\u2014is slated to debut this spring in the Frank Gehry-designed Grand L.A. (across the street from the Walt Disney Concert Hall, which Anadol blanketed in projections<\/a> back in 2018). And while the concept of AI art can be contentious to say the least, the artwork filling this project from Refik Anadol Studios decidedly won\u2019t be of the AI \u201cslop\u201d variety. Rather, the museum aims to merge real human imagination with machine creativity and capabilities.<\/p>\n

For about a decade, Turkish American media artist Anadol and his wife and studio cofounder, Efsun Erk\u0131l\u0131\u00e7, have been translating troves of data into morphing images and rippling particles. Inside the space, you\u2019ll find five galleries of installations, including floor-to-ceiling projections in a rainforest-inspired Infinity Room that we dare you not to be wowed by\u2014the multisensory experience will even be complemented by AI-generated scents.<\/p>\n