USC Fisher Museum of Art

Museum
In Los Angeles, California
3.9 mi from Route 66

The USC Fisher Museum of Art is the art museum of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA, about 4.8 miles off the old road. Opened in 1939, it was the city's first art museum. Its collection runs from Old Master paintings to Andy Warhol. It sits within a few hundred yards of several other museums, which makes it an easy addition to a museum day at the end of Route 66.

What is USC Fisher Museum of Art?

The museum, once called the USC Fisher Gallery, is part of the university and shows sculpture, photography, prints, drawings and painting. Its older holdings come from Europe and North America, and its 20th- and 21st-century collection has been growing quickly in both size and range.

Highlights span several centuries. Peter Paul Rubens painted Venus Wounded by a Thorn around 1608 to 1610, and a St. John the Evangelist is attributed to Anthony van Dyck. There are portraits by Angelica Kauffmann, George Romney and Thomas Gainsborough, a work by Jean-François Millet, Andy Warhol's 1972 portrait of Richard Nixon, and Jenny Holzer's Blacklist from 1999.

History of USC Fisher Museum of Art

Elizabeth Holmes Fisher founded the museum in 1939 and started it with a gift of 29 paintings. When she died in 1955, it held 74 works, a mix of paintings, drawings and sculpture. That same year Armand Hammer gave 48 Old Master works from Italy, Germany, Flanders and the Netherlands, made between the 1400s and the 1600s, adding real depth to the older collection.

Visiting USC Fisher Museum of Art: tips

The museum is about 4.8 miles from the old road. Restrooms are on site. Allow about an hour to see the galleries.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is only about 0.1 miles away, the California Science Center about 0.2 miles and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art about 0.3 miles, so it is easy to build a full day in the area. Burger Crush is about 0.1 miles away for a quick meal.

Practical info

Address: 823 W Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Phone: +1 213-740-4561
Website: fisher.usc.edu
Hours: Tue–Fri 12–5 · Sat 12–4
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near USC Fisher Museum of Art

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Philippe's
Los Angeles, CA · 4.0 mi from USC Fisher Museum of Art
A downtown Los Angeles restaurant running since 1908 that claims to have invented the French dip sandwich.
Diner & restaurant
Pink's Hot Dogs
Los Angeles, CA · 5.6 mi from USC Fisher Museum of Art
A Los Angeles hot dog stand on North La Brea Avenue, serving since 1939 at the edge of Hollywood.
Diner & restaurant
Formosa Cafe
West Hollywood, CA · 6.0 mi from USC Fisher Museum of Art
A West Hollywood restaurant and bar from 1925, long a hangout for film stars from the studio lot nearby.