Some of this year’s standout exhibitions are still on display at museums at this very moment (like “Inspiring Walt Disney,” which just snuck in before the end of the year and therefore eluded this list), but we’re always thinking about what’s just on the horizon. A major museum expansion, a survey of an iconic muralist and a retrospective on cinema’s patron saint of filth: These are the 13 L.A. art exhibitions that we’re already making plans to visit in 2023.
Psst: You can see nearly all of our picks below without having to pay for admission if you brush up on L.A.’s free museum days first.
“Simone Forti”
MOCA, Jan 15–Apr 2
Best known for her lo-fi sculpture-centric Dance Constructions, choreographer Simone Forti’s movement-focused pieces explore the connection between visual art and contemporary dance. Catch weekly stagings of those Dance Constructions plus six decades of other works at MOCA.
“Frieze Los Angeles”
Santa Monica Airport, Feb 16–19
Though it’s technically an art fair, this dreamy display of works from dozens of international galleries reads more like a cluster of mini museum and gallery shows. After first debuting in the surreal setting of the Paramount backlot and then decamping to a space next to the Beverly Hilton, the latest edition of the New York export has settled on a site-specific tent in the southeast corner of Santa Monica Airport.
“Refik Anadol: Living Paintings”
Jeffrey Deitch, Feb 18–Apr 8
Most recognizable to Angelenos for his projections that’ve blanketed both the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a block of DTLA, Refik Anadol has visualized data sets based on California environmental and weather data for this exhibition at Jeffrey Deitch. Of particular note: his traveling Infinity Room, an immersive wall of real-time data.
“George Condo: People are Strange”
Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood, Feb 15–Apr 22
These beautifully ugly large-scale paintings from neo-expressionist George Condo would be worth seeing regardless of the context. But for this L.A.-channeling exhibition (the name is an homage to the classic song by the Doors), we’re particularly interested because it marks the debut show at Arts District mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth’s new West Hollywood space, housed in a former classic car showroom.
Desert X
Coachella Valley, Mar 4–May 7
The desert-spanning biennial is back, with premieres of site-specific works from a slate of to-be-announced artists. For its third iteration, Desert X will once again stage outdoor installations across about 40 miles of the Coachella Valley.
Hammer Museum expansion
Hammer Museum, opens Mar 26
The Hammer Museum has been embarking on a $180 million expansion of its Westwood space since 2018, and now it’s finally set to be finished. The newest iteration of the free museum will now have a proper pedestrian entrance on the corner of Wilshire and Westwood, plus a sculpture terrace on the opposite end. The block-long building, dubbed the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Cultural Center, will look less opaque from the outside, and inside you’ll find more space than ever for art, including a five-gallery presentation of the Hammer’s contemporary collection, plus—starting earlier in February—drawings by Bridget Riley and contemporary photos and videos from China.
“Light, Space, Surface: Selections from LACMA’s Collection”
LACMA, Apr 2–Oct 1
We’re all kind of obsessed with the lighting in Southern California, but the local progenitors of the glossy and industrial 1960s Light and Space movement really love it. LACMA is digging into its collections to pull out all sorts of reflective and refractive works from the likes of Peter Alexander, Larry Bell, Judy Chicago, Mary Corse, Fred Eversley and Robert Irwin, among others (though one notable name is missing: James Turrell).
“Dawoud Bey & Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue”
Getty Center, Apr 4–July 9
This touring photo exhibition focuses on four decades of work from Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems, who first met in Harlem in the 1970s and have remained friends ever since as each has tackled similar themes of race, power and representation through scenes rooted in the Black community.
“All Consuming: Art and the Essence of Food”
Norton Simon Museum, Apr 14–Aug 14
Bountiful feasts and bowls of fruit have peppered the scenes of European artwork for centuries. But what do they actually say about the hunger, excess and sustenance of those times? And how has art impacted food trends? The Norton Simon examines all of these with 60 paintings, prints, photographs and sculptures from 1500 to 1900.
“Carl Craig: Party/After-Party”
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Apr 16–July 23
Envisioned years before the pandemic but debuted in the throes of it, Detroit DJ Carl Craig’s Party/After-Party turned the basement of New York’s Dia Beacon into a cavernous, empty dance club with a sliver of flashing light sneaking through a doorway. The techno-heavy work makes the jump to the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, with a slate of live performances to accompany it.
“Keith Haring: Art is for Everybody”
The Broad, May 23–Oct 8
Keith Haring’s colorful, energetic designs—like his barking dogs or crawling stick figure-like radiant baby—have moved well beyond the world of street art over the past four decades and ingrained themselves as instantly recognizable pieces of pop art. Now, the Broad will examine that body of work in a museum setting with this display of over 120 artworks and archival materials.
“Imagined Wests”
The Autry, May 2023
Like the Artbound episode of the same name, the Autry reexamines how we tell stories about the American West with this new long-term exhibition. “Imagined Wests” asks visitors to consider “what is a Western?” through the display of over 250 pieces of pop culture, clothing, toys and art.
“John Waters: Pope of Trash”
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Fall 2023
See how the Hairspray and Pink Flamingos writer and director’s delightfully filthy style has redefined the possibilities of independent cinema—as well as what exactly goes into making an indie movie—during this career-spanning exhibition at the Academy Museum. Around the same time, you’ll also find the museum’s new, permanent “Hollywoodland” display on the industry’s predominantly Jewish founders; earlier in the year in February, expect to see more second-floor gallery rotations, including deep dives into Casablanca and Boyz n the Hood.