The Hammer Museum believes in the promise of art and ideas to illuminate our lives and build a more just world.

Paul McCarthy's self portrait is a line drawing of a monkey's face.

Paul McCarthy: Head Space, Drawings 1963–2019

Feb 2–May 10, 2020
The first comprehensive survey in the United States of drawings and works on paper by the Los Angeles-based artist.

Today's programs

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Abstract work of art hung on a wall; a rectangle divided into four quarters by a gray cross. In each quadrant is a horizontal gray line against a variegated background of red, brown, and black.

Tishan Hsu: Liquid Circuit

Jan 26–Apr 19, 2020
Hsu's first US museum survey reintroduces the work of this visionary artist to a contemporary audience.
Hammer Projects: Leonardo Drew

Hammer Projects: Leonardo Drew

Dec 21, 2019–May 17, 2020
For the Hammer’s lobby wall, Drew creates a monumental explosion of material and color that evokes the energy and entropy of an uncertain planet.
Two young women in coats face a woman holding a microphone

Hammer Projects: Ja'Tovia Gary

Feb 2–May 17, 2020
Filmed on location in Harlem and Giverny, Ja'Tovia Gary's THE GIVERNY SUITE is a multi-textured cinematic poem that meditates on the safety and bodily autonomy of Black women.
A mask

Inside the Mask

Feb 15–May 17, 2020
Inside the Mask reimagines the museum as without walls, as a place of community, encounter, and exchange between musicians and activists, dancers and organizers.
Four pairs of shoes mounted to a wall

Collective Constellation: Selections from The Eileen Harris Norton Collection

Feb 8–Aug 1, 2020
Art + Practice and the Hammer Museum present this exhibition highlighting an intergenerational, multi-ethnic group of artists that have profoundly impacted contemporary art.

Upcoming Programs

Two masks. On the left a brown mask with bared teeth and black eyes. On the right, a mask with a red face, black hair and yellow eyes.
Special Programs

Transformative Justice Ritual

Tuesday Mar 10, 2020 7:30 PM
This workshop uses the tools of transformative justice to repair conflict through healing and transformation.
Photograph of people of various religions at prayer, modeled off of Norman Rockwell's painting Freedom of Religion
Special Programs

For Freedoms Congress (FFCON)

Sunday Mar 1, 2020 1:00 PM
FFCON gathers artist, academic and cultural institutions, and organizations transforming the political landscape through creative civic engagement.
Joy Harjo
Readings

Poetry: Joy Harjo

Thursday Feb 27, 2020 7:30 PM This is a past program
The first Native American to hold the title of US Poet Laureate, Harjo has authored nine books of poetry.

Election 2020

Graphic with the word "VOTE." in white text on a red and blue background and white stars along the top and bottom borders.
Special Programs

Primary Election Polling Place

SAT FEB 29–TUE MAR 3, 2020
The Hammer is an official Vote Center for the presidential primary elections.
graphic showing blue and red icons of a teapot, thumbs up and thumbs down, a donkey, an elephant, top hat, and beer bottles.
Special Programs

Super Tuesday Bash 2020

Tuesday Mar 3, 2020 5:30 PM
Watch the Super Tuesday election results roll in at the museum, following polls and pundits on giant screens.
Hammer mug in red

Hammer Store

Books and products that celebrate fine artistry, excellent design, and exceptional craftsmanship.
Audrey at the Hammer

Audrey at the Hammer

Our new restaurant is ideal for a sit-down dinner or casual cocktails and a light daytime meal.
Hammer corner

Museum Transformation

A new entrance, more galleries, and expanded lobby will be completed in late 2020.

Join the Hammer Community

Discussing Social Justice

Image: Charles White, Love Letter #1, 1971. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Purchase. Photo by Ed Glendinning
Love Letter #1

Her Dream Deferred Series

This series explored the status of black women and girls in the United States, lifting their voices and stories to find solutions to social injustice. Copresented with the African American Policy Forum

The Watts Rebellion: 50 Years Later

Three historians discuss the past and present of race relations in the United States.

Now Dig This!: Art and Black Los Angeles 1960–1980

This digital archive of the 2011–2012 exhibition examines the legacy of African-American artists in L.A., many of whom were connected to civil rights and Black Power movements.

“Bad” Feminism

Re-watch one of our most popular programs. In October 2016, Roxane Gay, Andi Zeisler, and the Hammer’s Connie Butler discuss the political, social, and cultural relevance of contemporary feminism.

Social Justice in Church and State

Watch this 2014 program with Sister Simone Campbell who discussed the resurgence of social justice issues in the Catholic Church

Image: Charles White, Love Letter #1, 1971. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Purchase. Photo by Ed Glendinning

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