VISUAL TRASH: STREET ART, GRAFFITI, ADVERTISING, OH MY!

On the shiny, new gentrified south end of Downtown Los Angeles there are remnants still, old and recent, of the … More

WRIT LARGE : MASSIVE “MSK” GRAFFITI THROW-UP IN L.A. ARTS DISTRICT

We spent a morning in the Arts District on a recent visit to Los Angeles. It’s home to lots and … More

GOING BIGGER: “LOVE BERTO” DOMINATES FAUX-URBAN LANDSCAPE IN L.A.

Here’s another one of these abstract, geometric murals by the artist Berto, who usually signs his work “LoveBerto.” His massive … More

QUIZZICAL: ART MUSEUM OR HOME DEPOT?

It’s quiz times once again, savvy readers! Look at these photos. Is this a Home Depot or an art museum? … More

PAINTERLY: SARAH CAIN’S MASSIVE MURAL AT ICA FILLS EMPTY DEAD SPACE

“Now I’m Going to Tell You Everything” is the title of this site-mural at the recently opened Institute of Contemporary … More

LOVESICK: ANOTHER “BLEEDING HEARTS” MURAL REMINDS US THAT LOVE IS … BOTH RAPTUROUS MUSE AND A MONSTROUS BITCH?

DRIVEN TO ABSTRACTION: THE INCREDIBLE DEPTH OF ELLEN GALLAGHER’S “BLACK” PAINTINGS

These paintings by artist Ellen Gallagher speak to us in deep, immediate, profound ways. The black abstractions of these canvases … More

TRUE CRIME: STREET ARTIST “APPROPRIATES” ICONIC IMAGE OF FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER

PINKISH: PORTRAIT OF ROBED ELEPHANT-HUMAN STREET ART BEFUDDLES PASSERSBY

Street art often provides many unanswered questions, not only about the artwork itself, but also who created it. There’s seldom clear … More

CONFUSION: “ART-NOT-ART” STREET ART

A funny thing about “art.” Sometimes the happiest of aesthetic accidents happen as a consequence of totally non-artistic impulses. Take … More

CULT OF KAWAII: WHEN STREET ART “GETS CUTE” WE ALL SUFFER

  Look, savvy reader! Look at the photo above! See that tiny wheat-pasted street artwork of a poodle-like canine waltzing … More

PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE: STENCIL STREET ART ATTEMPTS WRY SOCIAL COMMENTARY ON SMARTPHONE USE

  We were were recently walking down the street in the Arts District near Downtown Los Angeles (a.k.a., DTLA). We … More

KNOWLEDGE: STREET ART EXPLAINS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FINANCE AND LOVE

Art can do many things. It can provoke, teach, offend, inform, comfort, inspire, scare, stimulate and bond us. Street art, … More

Mysterious: Why “Judith” is Painted on an LA Warehouse Door

The “Judith” in question here is artist Judith Bernstein. The roller shutter with her name painted on it in a … More

Here Comes the Neigborhood: Mural of Basquiat Ups Real Estate Values in Hip Gentrifying Hood

There’s a pattern of tell-tale signs that indicate that a once-undesireable neighborhood is undergoing gentrification. One of these signs is … More

Street Art Begs Passersby to “Stop Making Stupid People Famous” – We Disagree!

On the surface, the sentiment seems straightforward, sensible and pleasantly righteous enough: “Stop making stupid people famous.” That sounds like … More

The Giant Rose in Downtown LA

German artist Isa Genzken’s “Rose III” giant rose sculpture at the Los Angeles outpost of the Hauser & Wirth gallery … More

DTLA Mural

The post-industrial urban landscape of the Arts District near Downtown Los Angeles is full of wide walls practically begging to … More

Shepard Fairey Does Ronald Reagan

The ever-gentrifying Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles is home to lots of large-scale street art, including this classic Shepard … More

Entrance to MOCA / Geffen Contemporary 

We’re not religious. But museums are our cathedrals, our churches and temples, our shrines. MoMA may be the modern art … More

Doug Aitken’s Glowing Pay Phone at MOCA … Los Angeles

This glowing, LED-illuminated sculpture of an old-school pay phone is by artist Doug Aitken. It’s titled “Twilight,” and it’s absolutely … More

Street Art at Zinc … Arts District, Los Angeles

Black-and-white photo-realistic portraits on the exterior wall of Zinc Cafe, near Willow and Mateo streets in the Downtown Los Angeles … More

Street Art by Esoteric Truth … Arts District, Los Angeles

This wheat-pasted stenciled artwork by the artist who goes by the moniker “Esoteric Truth” can be found near the corner … More

In Los Angeles … The New Broad Museum Building

The edgy contemporary architecture of the newly constructed Broad Museum building, a new contemporary art museum in Downtown Los Angeles. … More