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Los Angeles County Museum of Art 
When you visit Los Angeles, a trip
to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art should be at the top of you
list of things to see. Although the Los Angeles County Museum
of Art first opened in 1965, its history goes back to 1913.
This small museum acquired several collections which had been given
to the museum through the years. Several years later this
small museum was filled to capacity and thus needed a much larger
building to house it's growing collection. In 1965, three new
building were built taking over four
years to construct. The three buildings cost roughly
twelve-million dollars and the grand opening in 1965 was a huge
success. Even though the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is
nearly a quarter of a century old and resulting in a large number of
gifts & artifacts donated which in turn have earned the Los Angeles
County Museum of Art a world wide reputation and should not be
missed by any visitors who is interested in art. The museum
today consists of four separate buildings, connected to each other
underground and range in size of a large courtyard.
Highlights of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art include; Ancient
and Islamic Art: Displayed in this collection are mainly textiles
from Iraq, Iran and Turkey showcased in galleries 305 and 306.
Complete this tour with authentic costumes & textiles from various
countries. American Art Collection: Is located on the second
floor of the Museum here visitors can follow development of America,
especially South California. This exhibit displays art from
the last three decades, works by contemporary potters, glass
blowers, sculptures and new modern acquisitions. Contemporary
artists such as Frank Stella, David Hockney, Robert Longo along with
other special exhibitions which can be found in five galleries on
the ground floor. Costumes & Textiles: This large collection
of Costumes and Textiles contains over 55,000 exhibits from around
the world. These objects represent more than one hundred
cultures along with two thousand years of human creativity in the
textile arts. The Decorative Arts Collection: contains silver,
metalwork, ceramics, glass and woodwork (mostly furniture).
The three main areas include: European, American, Modern and
Contemporary with a date range from the medieval period about 1200
to present day. European Painting & Sculpture: Displays art
from the 20th century and is housed in the two upper floors of the
Anderson Building. Far Eastern Art: can be found on two floors
of the Ahmanson Building and with galleries placed around the
atrium. Additional highlights include; Indian and Southeast
Asian Art, Japanese Pavilion, Photography, Prints & Drawings and the
Robert O Anderson Building. The Los Angeles County Museum of
Art is the largest art museum in the western United States,
featuring 1000,000 objects dating from ancient times to the present.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is of international stature as
well as a vital part of Southern California. The Los Angeles
County Museum of Art attracts nearly one-million visitors yearly,
this large seven-building complex is located on twenty acres in the
heart of Los Angeles. So if this is your first visit or you
are returning to Los Angeles be sure you visit the Los Angeles
County Museum of Art.
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