Museums in the Los Angeles region are rolling out reopening plans this spring as local restrictions allow; some institutions have largely been closed for a year due to public health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. museum directors last year estimated losing the equivalent of 35% of their annual operating income during 2020, according to a survey. Visit museums' websites for updates, advance ticketing and visitor protocols.

April 1 is the date that LACMA expects to reopen with six new exhibitions. One much-anticipated highlight is the retrospective of popular Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara. A new acquisition, Miss Forest, is Nara's 26-foot outdoor painted bronze sculpture seen outside on Wilshire Boulevard, next to Chris Burden's Urban Light.

While its gardens have been open since July, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens announced Thursday that it will begin to reopen its art galleries on April 17, so that the public may at last see the newly restored masterpiece of 18th-century British portraiture, The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough. In addition, “Made in L.A. 2020: a version,” the fifth iteration of the Hammer Museum’s biennial exhibition, will debut simultaneously at both the Hammer and The Huntington in two versions that make up the whole. “Made in L.A. 2020” will remain on view at both institutions through Aug. 1.

The Hammer Museum also expects to reopen on April 17, with "Made in L.A. 2020: a version" featuring works by 30 Los Angeles–based artists. During the run of "Made in L.A. 2020," members and visitors to the Hammer, which offers free admission, will receive passes granting free admission to The Huntington to view the exhibition in full.

The Autry Museum of the American West will reopen its doors to Autry Members on March 30. The general public will be able to visit starting on April 6. For the initial reopening, the Autry will debut two major temporary exhibitions (Masters of the American West and When I Remember I See Red). Later in April, a third temporary exhibition (What’s Her Story) will open alongside a major permanent core gallery (Art of the West).

Select works from Masters of the American West are available for purchase online. When I Remember I See Red: American Indian Art and Activism in California, features 40 Native artists—either from California or with strong ties to the state—who have used their work as a means of cultural resistance and renewal. 

The Getty will stage a phased reopening, possibly in mid-April. The Getty Villa Museum will open first, followed a few weeks later by the Getty Center. At the Getty Villa Museum, a special exhibition on Mesopotamia will be on view.