10 must-see works at LACMA
Quick answer
LACMA's must-sees are Chris Burden's Urban Light, Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass, Magritte's The Treachery of Images, Diego Rivera's Mexican painting, the pre-Columbian collection, Burden's Metropolis II and Peter Zumthor's David Geffen Galleries building itself. Urban Light is outdoors and free to visit at any hour.
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The key works
Since the David Geffen Galleries opened the collection has been rehung: check the day's map.
- 1
Outdoors · Wilshire Blvd
Urban Light — Chris Burden (2008)
202 vintage LA streetlamps lined up in a plaza: the city's icon, and free.
- 2
Outdoors · north campus
Levitated Mass — Michael Heizer (2012)
A 340-ton granite boulder suspended over a trench you can walk beneath.
- 3
David Geffen Galleries
The Treachery of Images — René Magritte (1929)
"This is not a pipe": the work that questions the link between image and reality.
- 4
David Geffen Galleries
Flower Day — Diego Rivera (1925)
A calla lily seller turned monument: muralism on canvas.
- 5
David Geffen Galleries
Pre-Columbian art
Colima ceramics and Maya and Aztec works: a benchmark collection.
- 6
David Geffen Galleries
Asian art
Buddhas, bronzes and Japanese prints from one of the country's great Asian collections.
- 7
David Geffen Galleries
European masters
European painting from the Renaissance to the 19th century.
- 8
BCAM
Metropolis II — Chris Burden (2011)
A miniature city with 1,100 toy cars; check the official site for when it runs.
- 9
BCAM
Contemporary art
Large 20th- and 21st-century installations in Renzo Piano's building.
- 10
David Geffen Galleries
Peter Zumthor's building (2026)
A concrete gallery raised on piers across Wilshire Boulevard, with city views.
Frequently asked questions
What is LACMA's most famous artwork?
Chris Burden's Urban Light, the lamppost installation on Wilshire Boulevard.
Do you pay to see Levitated Mass?
No, it's outdoors and free to visit.
Does LACMA have Diego Rivera?
Yes, including Flower Day, within its large Latin American collection.
Does Metropolis II always run?
No: it runs at set times. Check the official site.