This is probably one of the best contemporary art museums I've ever been to. The staff is absolutely amazing. They are all incredibly informative, welcoming, and so very professional. The exhibits were so interesting and the flow of the museum is so unique in itself. I'll definitely be back for another visit. read more

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We appreciate free museums! This museum had some unique installations that brought us in for a visit. The staff was friendly. One security guard even directed us to the patio for a clear view of the Hollywood sign. This is a tricky review, because while it has some interesting art, it didn't keep me long. read more

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What a unique experience to enjoy and converse about modern art. This place is situated in a former Masonic lodge, and is still by appointment only. Here's the kicker, free admission, free parking in LA! You can easily spend a few hours here checking out the exhibits on all the floors, and the various films scattered around. Staff here were awesome and friendly. Do it to your self and family and make this your next outing. Truly a unique experience and opportunity to check out something new and unique. read more

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If you haven't been to the Marciano Art Foundation, you should go. It's free. You just have to reserve your ticket online ahead of time. The building itself is a beauty. Check out the statues, which are part of the architecture that face Wilshire Boulevard. My favorite permanent exhibit is the Masonic relic room. Don't miss that on the middle floor. I believe there is an amazing permanent work by Millard Sheets in the back, but I missed it this time, so not positive. Otherwise, it's a huge amount of space filled with contemporary art of all sorts. I am frankly bonkers for that sort of thing, but in a building as unique as this one, it's not to miss. After you are done, take a drive down Wilshire Boulevard east toward Downtown and marvel left and right at the varied architectural splendor. You'll be happy to be stuck in traffic. read more

Well, first of all the building is amazing. And the art is really unusual. Entrance is free, but you do have to make reservations online. You can park right there also free. It's a super interesting kind of place that used to be a Masonic temple. Definitely try it. read more

Marciano Art Foundation - Current exhibit - Art Museums Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Truly one of the best museums ever! I've never heard of this before until recently. Admission is free, just reserve your time slot. What makes it even better is that there is plenty of parking!!! Free parking near Ktown, which is amazing. This art foundation consists of 3 levels of viewing. Depending on artist's work, there are some artwork where you are able to stand and actually touch. A great place to explore with a friend or partner. This place isn't packed, so it is quiet. The workers there are extremely kind and made my experience here truly enjoyable. I would love to see what other showcases they have in the future. read more

free...free parking and free entrance...reservation for date/time for general admission is required online https://marcianoartfoundation.org/visit/ ...a multi-floor building with contemporary artwork ranging from whimsical to obscene...staff will warn adults with children when entering areas with graphic nudity...exhibits are mixed with some old and some modern....a room filled with relics and photos from the past...exhibits of a gigantic blow-up felix the cat...daughter enjoyed walking every floor to view all the exhibits, but specifically enjoyed the art library in the main lobby filled with slides and art books...more specifically the foam sofas and running around the room... read more

Marciano Art Foundation - Art Museums Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Amazing Art Building! Marciano Art Foundation Museum is an art space in the heart of Los Angeles. Its admission is free albeit requires reservation. This bldg has more than 100,000 square feet of space and was originally a Scottish Rite Masonic Temple. Now owned by the Marciano family. Today was the last day to see exhibits Transmissions: Selections from the Marciano Collection, Yayoi Kusama, Nicolas Party-Tree mural, and the Relic Room before they put the next upcoming art exhibitions. Staff were professional. Parking lot is huge and free. We came early morning and spent an hour to ogle and peruse every art exhibits. It's an awesome museum to chill, take photos and spend a weekend afternoon. Overall, I recommend you visit. read more

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I recently found out about this place and came to visit for their kusama exhibit. I made a reservation and was allowed to park inside for free. Entry to the exhibit was also free. The first floor had a giant felix the cat blow up. The second floor was mostly closed off but a creepy room about the building's history was open. The exhibit was on the 3rd floor. I had a great time looking at the art available and will be waiting for their next exhibit. read more

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Absolutely incredible restoration and transformation of the space and structure. This former Masonic Temple (and theater) building has become a glorious place to worship modern artists and creators. I have been many times and was devastated when they closed. Went back not long ago, so happy for the museum reopening. I love the massive main space downstairs but always find time for the other galleries. The permanent collection has some fantastic pieces. Last visit was a phenomenal immersive film experience, Doug Aitken's Lightscape. It was wonderful. I love the history of the building. The place still holds the dramatic vibes of the Masons who once inhabited. Do yourself a favor and check out the Relic Room that houses books, photos, programs, small bits of costumes from the temple / theater period. It's a glimpse into the bizarre ritual and historic pageantry of the secretive fraternal organization. I was lucky to have seen the inaugural exhibition, the mind blowing Jim Shaw, The Wig Museum. He took Masonic theater backdrops and transformed them into extraordinary hellish visions, along with some large scale paintings, sculptures and installation pieces. Was also fortunate to have seen the incredible Ai Weiwei exhibit, Life Cycle and the Yayoi Kusama room. Fantastic! I love this place so much. Admission is free with a reservation. There's free parking onsite or plenty in the lovely surrounding neighborhood. read more

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The MAF is a unique and spacious art gallery, which I highly recommend. It is located in an old historical Masonic facility. You would never know from the outside that inside contains so much modern art !! The third floor is their permanent collection of pieces; these tend to stick around and have been there the past five or so years... the bottom floor is the main gallery which has shows that switch out about two to three times a year. The bottom floor gallery has extremely tall ceilings so it's cool to see the types of installations they bring in. Fun spot, I'm glad it has reopened! read more

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Had an amazing time with my toddler! However the cafe is no longer there nor is the main attractions (red polka dot room, the black cat is more than half way deflated & stuffed in a corner-) just keep that in mind!! Don't base any photos ops on them. However it's was till nice the "phone a poem" peice was our favorite because is was interactive, BEST PHOTO OP, & interesting to say the least. 8.5/10 recommend. Oh the workers were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING & even tended to my toddlers questions lol read more

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Marciano Art Foundation is a spacious and modern gallery space that is free with reservations. One reservation is good for two people so keep that in mind if you have a larger party. They have their own parking lot here which you can conveniently park at after you show the attendant your reservation confirmation. Inside, the museum space is three levels. The first level contains the huge inflatable Felix the Cat! They have a solid amount of art being showcased in their galleries. For the Kusama Exhibit, you are required to put some shoe coverings on that they provide in order to keep the exhibit clean. Being able to experience and immerse ourselves in Kusama's innovative artwork was really awesome! I would definitely recommend checking this spot out if you get the chance. read more

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It's open again and you need to make reservations online. You must present the email ticket to park in the lot. I highly recommend the new exhibition! I would budget at least one hour or more. I've been more impressed by the video and film work rather than the other art in the permanent gallery. read more

We went on a Wednesday and it was practically empty. LOVED this museum! The second floor was under construction but the other two floors were so pretty that I didn't even care!!!! 10/10 would recommend. so pretty! read more

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i think i've been to most art museums in los angeles but stumbled upon this modern art museum and thoroughly enjoyed my time here! pretty large area with 3 ~ stories of cool art. honestly a lot. made me think and ponder. i loved it as a first timer :) i made reservations online and had no problems finding parking, entry, etc. honestly very underrated... must come for all art lovers !! read more

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I've passed by this building all these years and didn't know that this was an art museum! This place is amazing. Reservation is required, but entrance and parking are both free. The collection is very cool even to someone like me who doesn't know anything about contemporary art. It's not a huge space and we ended up just taking about 1 1/2 hrs in total. read more

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Best experience, loved their first floor. Great for pictures in the library and it's like a cinematic movie theater. 3rd floor was also great for pictures on the mirror wall! read more

Marciano Art Foundation - Art Museums Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The Marciano Art Foundation is an awesom art museum, showing off many modern art peices. You need to make an online reservation before attending, but with your reservation, you get to have free parking. The museum has two floors. The first floor was an immersive art exhibit, showing off a film piece. The third floor has many of the other art peices and sculptures. This place has a mix of contemporary and modern pieces. The workers examined thr pieces with much details. This is an awesome space to spend one to two hours admiring art ! read more

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What a fantastic venue to enjoy modern art. The Masonic building is fantastic in and of itself and the interior spaces/galleries spacious. Interesting art and truly welcoming and super friendly staff. Secure free parking and free entry. So good! read more

Lovely that they provide free gated parking and timed reservations, but this is the kind of art that feels less universally accessible especially without a tour guide. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 12pm - 6pm. Parking is in the lot directly behind the Foundation off of Lucerne Boulevard. They provide 2 hours, but we did not need the full time to see the entire museum. read more

We had a nice time at the Marciano Art Foundation. My favorite Exhibits were not on display. What made the visit Special were The People; starting with the Parking Lot attendant. Everyone was Welcoming and Friendly. The Film and the Chorale at 2 P.M. Was Awful! The theme was chaotic and depressing. Singers were good but choice of song / music was not. read more

amazing experience. this is another free museum in the area that also has free parking (a win win). The space was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be, with a lot of amazing artwork. i loved how it wasnt busy when i went. I feel like I really got to take my time and admire each piece and also got to. talk to the people that worked there about the space. would recommend! read more

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Lovely art gallery. Even my teenage children loved it. The only disappointment was that the exhibit of Yayoi Kusama was not open. We went there from the Bay Area and saw Yayoi at their sister Museum The Broad. The staff there sent us to Marciano. The young man at the door, a young African-American guy (only including a description to differentiate him from the other guy, we saw, He was absolutely wonderful! He was so informative, and so helpful. read more

Why is this place not more popular? Amazing space, great art...it's FREE and FREE parking!! We only budgeted 1 hour to go (our ticketed arrival time was 5PM and it closed at 6PM)...I would recommend 2 hours...or at least 1 1/2 hours to really be able to enjoy everything. read more

The Marciano Art Foundation closed in 2019 after the staff attempted to unionize, but it quietly reopened at some point recently. The art outside has been removed, and the coffee shop and bookstore are now closed. The enormous exhibition space that occupied the former Masonic Hall's auditorium is empty and cordoned off, as is the second floor's exhibition space. Most shocking of all, the beautiful original mosaic mural from the original ballroom has now been walled off -- at least, I hope it's still there behind the wall that has been added and not destroyed. There's now a lot less art on display, and what is there is a lot less, well, good. The marquee work right now is a giant thirty-one-foot-tall inflatable Felix the Cat by British artist Mark Leckey that reaches to the ceiling of the entrance lobby. I'm sure there are many things to be said about consumerism and postmodernism and iconography in contemporary lives, etc., etc., but at the end of the day, it's a giant inflatable Felix the Cat. It might as well be selling Chevrolets at the corner of Figueroa and Jefferson. On the third floor is a good deal of mediocre art by unknown artists. One artist apparently wants to make it known that she's a woman and she has had sex. Maybe that was groundbreaking for 1950, but in the post-Madonna age, she might as well announce she breathes oxygen and drinks water. The Yayoi Kusama room of polka dots and enormous tulips remains, and, as I was alone on the floor for most of my visit, I could take my own sweet time to move about the room. Kusama really is a very disturbed and disturbing artist, and those flowers carry a definite air of menace to them. I've always been perplexed how most people find her work to be nothing more than a simple cheery backdrop for vapid selfies. On my visit, there was only one other group of visitors; the security guards outnumbered the patrons. Even in its first incarnation, the Marciano Art Foundation wasn't well known, but nowadays, it seems to be even more of a secret destination. Sadly, it's not a great secret. Aside from the Kusama room -- which, as an installation, can't exactly be moved -- there was very little art from well-known artists on display: One Jeff Koons, one Barbara Kruger, one Mike Kelley. But where is Takashi Murakami? Tracey Emin? Ai Weiwei? Damien Hirst? Ed Ruscha? Paul McCarthy? Cindy Sherman? Sterling Ruby? Kenny Scharff? John Baldessari? Louise Bourgeois? All these artists are supposedly in the Marciano Art Foundation's collection, so it's frustrating that the limited gallery hangings they have are dominated by the collection's no-name J.V. squad. Instead of hanging "The Night Watch" or "Las Meninas," the curators decided to go with "Dogs Playing Poker" instead. When it first opened, the Marciano Art Foundation was a credible contender to challenge the overhyped, overcrowded, and undersized Broad Museum as the best contemporary art space in L.A. Now, with its limited gallery space and mediocre exhibition choice, the Marciano Art Foundation really does seem to be exactly what its detractors claimed it to be in the first place -- a white elephant tax haven merely masquerading as a museum. I hope this place improves back to something like its original incarnation, but as it is now, it's not worth the twenty minutes it takes to visit. read more

For some reason they r not as popular as the broad But I love it way better than other well known museums, this place is huge, 3 floors in total I love their art pieces collection Some of them are fairly modern and chic The building has a historical story Which belongs to one of the oldest club read more

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Finally made my way here! Couldn't remember how many times I had reserved the ticket online but ended ditching it... Now that the public demand seem had died down, I found it's easy to reserve online timed tickets just couple days before your scheduled visit day instead of month ahead. Following the suggestion of the volunteer that greeted us at the entrance, start from the 3rd level and walk your way down. Parking lot entrance is on the S Lucerne blvd, plenty parking on the day we went and the staffs run the parking lot like some private club. Complete private and organized. Free parking! Visitors must have a reserved ticket to park. The main reason drew me here was the: Yayoi, with all my love for the tulips, I pray forever. I especially enjoy this museum because it's less crowded (compare to Broad), I absolutely appreciate minimal disturbance by others (no kids and no IG influencers who just want to get a photo:XD) Update: as early November, they are permanently closed https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/marciano-art-foundation-permanent-closure-layoffs-union-13526/amp/ read more

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Such a shame and a real loss for art lovers... the former Scottish Rite old Masonic Temple was purchased by Paul & Maurice Marciano, of GUESS Jeans fame, for $8 million dollars. Why Architecture's Kulapat Vantrasast oversaw renovations. The museum opened to great fanfare in May 2017 and closed in November 2019 amid controversy. We visited in the summer of 2019 and I must say I enjoyed the Temple space and the varied and fascinating pieces of art. Yayoi Kusama's "Tulip" exhibit as well as Donna Huanca's multi-sensory installation were showing at the time. There was a super interesting room of the Masonic Temple's artifacts, a nice gift shop and a great café attached (Twist). I hope that they can resolve their labor disputes and reopen in the near future. read more

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The place employed a security detail that appeared bent on ruining the audience experience. Uniformed guards needlessly barked orders and herded a group of people attending a dance performance on a Saturday afternoon as if we were threats to society or unable to form a line. It was like being in an airport instead of a casual art experience. read more

Admission Free. Parking Free. Staff is friendly and helpful. Go to their site and reserve your timed tickets: https://marcianoartfoundation.org/visit/ Walk-Ins ok but may be refused entry if it's fully booked. I won't comment on the art as it's something to be seen, heard and or felt for yourself. Give yourself a few hours to experience it all. Free! You can't ask for much more. read more

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I live so close to this museum but haven't gotten the opportunity until now to visit. I can't believe that this museum is free. There is a amazing pieces here and some odd ones (like most museums). Parking is free. read more

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Went during a weekday morning, made reservation 30min prior, super easy. Parking is spacious and gated, well-paved and clean (unlike other parking spaces in LA), parking attendant friendly and accommodating too. All staff inside were friendly, welcoming, and informative. No trash seen on the premises, the place is very well kept, well maintained, clean. Some new stuff with the Transmissions (?) exhibition on the 3rd floor. I really like this place and the building itself, it's nice and relaxing. Nice views of greenery too. Glad this place re-opened. Learned a fun fact from the foyer staff that their water fountain of mosaic tiles are of real gold and so are the other gold details of the building. read more

This gallery has some interesting exhibits, few upcoming and big name artists, such as Kusama, Woods and Kaws. Free entrance. If you're looking to check out their newest exhibit, then it's highly recommended that you order the tickets online in advance to get a good time slot and of course to beat the line. However, it all depends on what you're itching to see. The Kusama exhibit for example has been around for quite some time so advance ticket isn't necessary at this point, but had you had planned on visiting this exhibit within the month of the opening, then a ticket would be highly recommended. It all depends on how well known the artist is. We came on a Saturday afternoon around 1-2pm, and the crowd was decent. No fuss. No line. Free ample street parking outside the building for 2 hours, which is more than enough time to leisurely browse all three floors. If I'm not mistaken, the parking lot inside the building is also free, as long as you show them a ticket or tell them you're visiting the museum. This is a very clean, organized, well-maintained gallery, and I recommend anyone who is interested in contemporary/modern/urban art to give this place a try. read more

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Culture in Los Angeles... When I saw "free tickets" for an art museum, I signed up online right away! Time to get edumacated!!! Located in Mid-Wilshire, The Marciano Art Foundation is in a building that used to be a Masonic Temple. It's a gigantic beige colored building with free parking! We arrived at our designated time and entered a spacious, modern, air conditioned environment. All of the murals, sculptures, paintings were well guarded. We were reminded to keep a safe distance away from the artwork and to carry our backpacks in front of us. I recognized Yayoi Kusama's work - "With All My Love For The Tulips". The hanging lightbulb and wall of windows were cool. I was amazed by the murals along the walls of the stairwell and the second floor... that must have taken so much time and thought! Thanks to the Marciano brothers, Maurice and Paul, of the Guess Company for sharing contemporary art with us! read more

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Very cool museum with unbeatable price (free!). I have been seeing the Marciano Art Foundation exhibits all over Instagram for quite a while now, but never made it over there. I finally decided to go and reserved tickets online. Unlike the Broad, there were plenty of tickets available (I reserved the night before). I headed over there during my reserved time. There was parking available, but I found a spot outside and I walked over. The admission process was a breeze. There was someone who checked my ticket at the front and then someone who scanned my ticket once I got into the museum. There is a lot of cool exhibits to look at and I believe that they rotate them around. When I was there the Ugo Rondinone exhibit was new, so it was cool to see it. The other thing that is probably the most popular exhibit is the Kusama exhibit. It was so cool to see (I have not yet been to the Broad, so it was quite an experience for me). Just as a note, you will need to put shoe covers on when you go into the exhibit. I also really enjoyed the fact that there was little to no line for this exhibit (or anywhere else). I did come on a Sunday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised to see that there was not a lot of people. Overall, I think it is a cool exhibit everyone should check out. It's free and a good way to spend a little time exploring. I was there for about an hour. read more

Been wanting to visit this museum for quite some time and FINALLY got the chance. First of all it's free. Has its own parking lot. Easy to get tickets online. Doesn't take long to see the collection of paintings, sculptures, and photos. My primary purpose of this visit was to see the installation of With All My Love. They let in a few people at a time. You have to wear booties before entering it and there's a place to keep your shoes. Loved it. read more

Marciano Art Foundation - With All My Love... - Art Museums Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Want an intimate museum experience? Come here. You'll get up close to Yoyoi Kusama's works (ongoing) and several other great contemporary artists, including Murakami and Ugo Rondinone. The Masonic "Relic Room" is also very interesting. So be sure to check it out while you're there. We will definitely be coming back to sample more artists from this tastefully curated foundation for contemporary art. read more

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Marciano Art Foundation It is always nice when affluent people - like the Marciano Brothers, owners of Guess decide to invest in art and also, share that collection with the world! And not charge admission, create an art space that everyone can have access to! Marciano Art Foundation is more like a museum housed in an old building on Wilshire, that used to be a Masonic Temple. The space is big and nicely renovated to host a comprehensive contemporary art collection that highlights California and its artists (Ed Rusha, Catherine Opie, Frances Stark, Barbara Kruger, Mike Kelley, etc). The collection isn't huge, but very well displayed, it has an exhibit dedicated to Catherine Opie (her photography in Elizabeth Taylor's house), Yayoi Kusama, Ugo Rondinone, a nice Ai Weiwei piece in the main lobby and a few cool Ed Rusha paintings among others. The museum isn't huge, but it goes on three levels, it's pleasant to explore. It's free to visit, but you have to reserve tickets in advance on their site (thanks to my Yelp friend Joi R for the tip) that you can print or have saved on your phone. They might try to avoid having crowds in there. I felt relaxed and calm admiring the art on display, there were people around, but not too many and the staff working here is more artsy, they're hip and they stay out of your way (unless you do something stupid). From the entrance, you are surrounded by cool pieces of contemporary art, in their courtyard, main lobby, stairs, everywhere. Besides the art collection, there's a room dedicated to the history of the building, full of items that belonged to the Mason Temple they found around, information, photos, a whole interesting, kinda creepy archive. There are elevators inside, a few restrooms, clean and nice. If you get hungry (you can't bring food and drinks inside the gallery), there's a nice coffee shop that belongs to the museum where you can get free water and can purchase coffee, nice pastries, salads, lunch type options. Reasonable prices, even the pre-packaged meals looked good, with nice salads and quiches, relaxing atmosphere to hang out and enjoy a bite or a cup of coffee. Closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays. Otherwise, they open at 11 am and close at 5 pm, except Saturdays when they stay open till 6 pm. There's a free parking lot and Wilshire/Western subway stop is at 15 minutes walk away through a nice area of Koreatown, great to explore on foot. The terrace is also gorgeous, it's a nice spot to relax, admire beautiful views, Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood sign are included besides nice houses and lush vegetation. A special spot where I could hang out forever! I'd go back to see future exhibits and I'm glad LA has a new cool spot to check out, vibrant, with a solid collection that adds a lot to our city's big art scene. read more

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This is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours in Mid Wilshire... the collection is fantastic, entrance is free (make a reservation) and so is parking! Caveat - you need to have an appreciation for modern art. But as I am a huge fan... I just loved my visit here and can't wait to come back. Cannot recommend this place enough... an LA gem. read more

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