Best Art Museums in Orange County
Craving a bit of culture? Orange County proudly boasts three vastly different museums, covering world cultures, contemporary, visual, and California art. Each museum offers collections that will surely edify even the most discerning museum visitor. Here’s a look at the top three museums in Orange County:
Bowers Museum
Located in Santa Ana, Bowers Museum is Orange County's largest museum covering over 93,000 square feet and housing more than 120,000 works of art. The museum’s collection represents the diverse cultures and regions of the world. Bowers’ expansive permanent collection encompasses Native American art, Pre-Columbian art, Asian art, art of the Pacific, art of Africa along with tons of Orange County history. In addition to the permanent collection, Bowers Museum presents rotating exhibits and has hosted over 80 exhibitions including Secret World of the Forbidden City, Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor, and Gods and Gifts: Treasures from the Vatican Ethnographic Museum.
The current presentation continues the museum’s series of exhibits highlighting important treasures from around the world. Miao: Masters of Silver, Gemstone Carvings, The Masterworks of Harold Van Pelt, California Bounty: Image and Identity, 1850-1930 and more. http://www.bowers.org
Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA)
OCMA, located in Costa Mesa, strives to be both a locally relevant and internationally significant museum. Its collection consists of nearly 4,500 modern and contemporary art objects, with an emphasis on the art of California from the early 20th century to the present. OCMA’s exhibits encompass traditional painting, sculptures and photography along with video, digital and installation art.
Over the past several years, OCMA’s exhibitions have traveled to more than 30 museums throughout the United States and Europe. These traveling projects include Kutlug Ataman: Paradise (2007); Mary Heilmann: To Be Someone (2007); Peter Saul (2008); Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series (2012); Jack Goldstein x 10,000 (2012); and Richard Jackson: Ain't Painting a Pain (2013).
The museum's core properties are California-based, and emphasize movements such as early and mid-century modernism, California Light and Space, Pop Art, Minimalism, and installation art. https://ocma.art/
Laguna Art Museum
Located in the art colony of Laguna Beach, the Laguna Art Museum continues the tradition of the Laguna Beach Art Association, founded in 1918 by the early California artists who discovered the beauty of this picturesque seaside community. Laguna Art Museum is unique in that it is the only museum in the state that is pure California. The museum collects, preserves, and exhibits art either created by California artists or that represents the life and history of California. Its collection consists of over 3,500 works from the early nineteenth century to the present day and represents all periods and styles. The museum's current exhibits include Modern Alchemy and On The Edge, Los Angeles Art from Joan and Jack Quinn. http://lagunaartmuseum.org
Each of these museums offer ongoing educational programs for adults and children as well as private venue rentals for special events.
However, If you don’t have time for a full museum visit but desire an educated tour and beautiful view…you may enjoy a visit to a couple of Laguna’s well-respected galleries. Click here for a few of Laguna Beach’s breathtaking Art Galleries.
