A Guide to Local Art Museums in Long Beach, California

Somewhat overshadowed by the larger Los Angeles area, Long Beach, California is home to some fantastic museums including the newly renovated Museum of Latin American Art, the Long Beach Museum of Art, and the University Art Museum at California State University, Long Beach.

Long Beach Museum of Art

The Long Beach Museum of Art is located where Elizabeth Milbank Anderson built a house and carriage house as a summer home in 1912. The museum's permanent collection features 300 years of ceramics, early 20th century European art, California Modernism and contemporary art of California. On Fridays museum admission is free.

Recent exhibitions include "A Light in the Shadow - Decades of Art by Women" and "The Lipton Collection" -- showcasing approximately 50 contemporary wood art works from the world-renowned collection of Dr. Irving Lipton.

Want to have a nice lunch while overlooking the ocean? The Long Beach of Art also houses a restaurant called Claire's Café. The cafe is reasonably priced with outdoor patio seating that is most certainly worth the trip.

The Long Beach Museum of Art is located at 2300 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA, 90803. Phone: (562) 439-2119. For more information visit the LBMA website.

Museum of Latin American Art

The Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) was founded in 1966 and is the only museum in the western part of the United States that exclusively features modern and contemporary Latin American art. The museum's permanent collection includes works ranging from Tamayo and Matta to Cruz-Diez, to Los Carpinteros and Tunga.

Recent art exhibits in 2010 include "Mariana Castillo Deball - Between You and the Image of You that Reaches Me" and the upcoming "Siqueiros Paisajista/ Siqueiros: Landscape Painter."

The Museum of Latin American Art is located at 628 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802. Phone: (562) 437-1689. For more information visit the MOLAA website.

University Art Museum at Cal State Long Beach

The University Art Museum (UAM) at California State University, Long Beach is located on the college campus at the College of the Arts. The museum was founded in 1973 and focuses on a combination of contemporary art, technology, music and culture.

The museum's permanent collection includes works on paper, sculpture, and 85 works from The Hampton Collection. Recent exhibitions at UAM include "Perpetual Motion: Michael Goldberg" and "5D|10: The Future of Immersive Design."

The University Art Museum is located at California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840. Phone: (562) 985-5761. For more information visit the UAM website.