Los Angeles is known for its movie stars, glitz, and glamour. But unfortunately, not everyone knows that this city has much more to offer both visitors and locals. Studying street art is one way to learn more about people and culture.
We’ve put together a guide where to find the most iconic street art in Los Angeles.
The Arts District in Downtown LA
Beginning in the 1970s, artists began moving to this area of Los Angeles and holding exhibitions, performing plays, and opening cafes and small theaters. This is definitely a must-visit place in the city of angels. Today it`s still a popular place for the street art movement. Here you will find a great concentration of colorful and beautiful pieces of street art and view one of the oldest murals in LA thanks to some conservation efforts by the Getty.
America Tropical was commissioned by the city of Los Angeles in 1932 for the Plaza Art Center. Later the piece of street art was whitewashed. But when the wall started to crumble apart, Getty has worked really hard to bring it back to life.
It is one of the rare chances to see a piece of public art that is almost 100 years old. One of the most vibrant Street Murals lets to enjoy street art and some history at the same time.
‘City of Angels’
The piece of public art by Tristan Eaton is located in Hollywood. The work includes references toL.A. iconography such as:
- Sidney Poitier;
- Judy Garland;
- Joan Didion;
- Estevan Oriol;
- Randy’s Donuts;
- John Waters;
- the Griffith Observatory;
- Eazy-E;
- Stacy Peralta;
- Traci Lords.
‘Blue For You’
The piece of outdoor art by London-based D*Face can be seen in Beverly Hills.
Bloom
This mural was created to memorialize Joel Bloom, the unofficial mayor of the Arts District in LA. The piece of street art was made by HUEMAN, the artist known for her colorful work.
Skid Row Mural
The work of public art was voted as the best new street art piece in LA a few years ago. Completely funded and created by the residents of Skid Row, it’s a way to draw attention to the area with the population number reading “too many”.
‘The Cleansing of Carnage from Vagus’
Residents of Los Angeles are lucky to have an artist of Nikos’ caliber living here. He has created a lot of street art in Los Angeles since he arrived here about five years ago. But the most epic of them all was a huge opus, more than 180 feet tall, called “Cleansing the Slaughterhouse from Vagus” in the historic center of the city. The photo shows a section called “7 Witches of Light”, which is only about 20% of this huge work of art.
