Sprüth Magers Gallery

Sitting directly across Wilshire Boulevard from LACMA, this 14,000-square-foot modernist box operates with the weight of a small museum rather than a typical commercial gallery. The building itself is a distinct piece of 1960s architecture – originally designed by William L. Pereira – that was repurposed specifically to house the first U.S. outpost of the German powerhouse gallery. The interior is vast and deliberately flexible. Architects stripped the structure back to its bones, leaving original ceilings and corners exposed while installing removable walls that allow the layout to shift entirely between shows. Because the space spans two floors, you often find distinct exhibitions running simultaneously, or a single artist taking over the entire volume with large-scale installations. On the ground level, floor-to-ceiling glass on three sides pulls in the flat, relentless Los Angeles light, making the movement of Wilshire Boulevard visible from the exhibition floor. The program reflects the gallery’s specific lineage in 1980s Cologne, where founders Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers built their reputations championing conceptual heavyweights and female artists like Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, and Cindy Sherman. That history is quietly acknowledged even in the private offices, which are furnished with vintage pieces by mid-century Californian female designers. A visit here is usually part of the broader Museum Row circuit, offering a place to see established international names – from George Condo to Andreas Gursky – in a space that rivals the institutions next door.