Downtown Los Angeles Public Art Walking Tour

 


Downtown Los Angeles, in particular the Bunker Hill neighborhood, is home to a notable collection of public art by famous international artists, much of it installed in plazas during the skyscraper building boom of the 1980s.  

As you go along this 3 page self-guided tour you will see other works of art--sculpture and murals--that are not mentioned here. There is usually a plaque embedded in the plaza or mounted on a wall nearby which identifies the artist.

To begin your walking tour, park nearby or take the Metro Red Line to the Civic Center station and walk 2 blocks up Second Street to Grand Avenue. After this steep uphill climb, most of the route in flat or downhill.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry, has become a  landmark building in downtown Los Angeles.  

 

And the Disney Concert Hall is an excellent place to start your tour. This building takes architecture clearly into the realm of sculpture.  Completed in 2003, it is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

One block south of Disney Hall is the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) which houses an world-class collection of contemporary art.

In the courtyard beside MOCA is Nancy Rubin's' monumental sculpture created primarily from old airplane parts, welded and wired together.  

 

Behind MOCA you will find a cascading fountain and walkway lined with trees--a cool haven on hot summer days. At the southern end is Mark di Suvero's "Pre-Natal Memories".  Like many of the sculptures on this walking tour it was cast in pieces and assembled later at this site.

 

Just beyond "Pre-Natal Memories" you will come to California Plaza with its dramatic fountains, multiple stages, and dining venues. You can enjoy free outdoor evening entertainment here during summer months.

Go right and down the stairs then across Grand Avenue where your Public Art Walking Tour continues on page 2 of 3.  

 

 

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Preview the famous Bradbury
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Other sights to see on this website

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The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is about a block and a half north of the Disney Concert Hall. Visit Chinatown by taking the Gold Line Metro from Union Station. The Mars rover "Opportunity" on display at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

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