Blakehaus Beverly Hills, at Richard Neutra’s William H. Levit House
Photo: Courtesy of Peter Blake
5 Historical, Groundbreaking Exhibitions to See During Frieze LA Art Week
From an art-and-design show curated by Peter Blake at Richard Neutra's iconic 1961 Levit House in Beverly Hills to Wael Shawky’s buzzworthy 2024 Venice Biennale film at MOCA, these groundbreaking exhibits are not to be missed
This week, as the art world descends on Los Angeles for the sixth edition of Frieze Los Angeles, we round up the must-see exhibitions taking place around the sprawling city. The top shows are by and large historical, groundbreaking, risk-taking and genre-defying, surprising us with the many forms that art may take.
David Hammons, “Concerto in Black and Blue,” 2002–03. Photo: Linda Goode Bryant. © 2025 David Hammons / ARS, New York. Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth
1. David Hammons, “Concerto in Black and Blue” | Hauser & Wirth Downtown
The setup is simple enough. Visitors enter a pitch-black, cavernous gallery space and pick a mini flashlight out of a bowl near the entrance. And from there, they wander off into the darkness flashing bright blue beams of light. Having debuted at Ace Gallery in New York in 2002, the contents of the blackened gallery is no longer a secret, but part of the beauty of the piece lies in the unknown potential of what we might find searching in the dark. Alongside “Concerto,” Hauser & Wirth also presents the catalog to Hammons’s sprawling, goading, mysterious 2019 exhibition, which remains the L.A. gallery’s best show to date. Both shows highlight the strength of Hammons’s work, in tandem with his humor and refusal to explain himself: his ability to surprise.
On view through June 1
Alice Coltrane, Monument Eternal, installation view. Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. Photo: Sarah Golonka
Alice Coltrane, Monument Eternal, installation view. Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. Photo: Sarah Golonka
2. “Alice Coltrane: Monument Eternal” | Hammer Museum
Alice Coltrane, best known as a jazz virtuoso of the 1960s and ’70s, embraced a path of religious enlightenment shortly after the death of her husband John Coltrane in 1967. Curator Erin Christovale presents Coltrane’s spirituality as an influential force, both for the musician’s sonic innovation and the work of 19 Black American artists. Works by Flying Lotus, Cauleen Smith, Rashid Johnson and others span different genres and generations, honoring the range and depth of a visionary legacy. An intimate portrait of Coltrane herself emerges through collected ephemera, including unreleased recordings, footage and personal letters.
On view through May 4
Wael Shawky, “Drama, 1882,” 2024. Photo: © Wael Shawky. Courtesy of Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Lisson Gallery, Lia Rumma, and Barakat Contemporary
3. Wael Shawky, “Drama 1882” | MOCA
“Drama 1882,” Wael Shawky’s film installation from the Egyptian Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, was a crowd favorite. Making its U.S. debut at MOCA, the piece takes the historic Urabi uprising against the British Empire in late 19th-century Egypt and creates an operatic stage play. Stylized with its color-blocked set design and the exaggerated movements of the actors’ bodies. Challenging the notion of objectivity, the artist himself describes the piece in terms of “entertainment,” “catastrophe,” and “our inherent doubt in history.”
On view through March 16
Blakehaus Beverly Hills, at Richard Neutra’s William H. Levit House Photo: Courtesy of Peter Blake
4. Blakehaus Beverly Hills | Richard Neutra’s William H. Levit House
A veteran gallerist specializing in Light and Space artists, Peter Blake has a distinct way of curating art and design in historically significant domestic spaces. His choices and placement show a special attention to the features of Southern California architecture, particularly its resonance with the sun and the land. His latest show takes place in Beverly Hills’ 1961 Levit House by Richard Neutra, where works by Pierre Guariche, Rick Owens, Peter Alexander and many others highlight Neutra’s carefully considered, floor-to-ceiling views. To one side are the San Gabriel mountains, and the Pacific Ocean to the other. Open by appointment only.
On view through March 16
Studies for Holograms, 1970, by Bruce Nauman. Photo: Elon Schoenholz. Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery
5. Bruce Nauman, “Pasadena Years” | Marian Goodman
Bruce Nauman embodied what it means to be an influential artist. The early works of “Pasadena Years,” spanning 1969 to 1979, foreshadow the generations of art that would come after him: the texts of Jenny Holzer, the performances and video of Mike Kelley, Matthew Barney, and Jacolby Satterwhite. Before they had done anything, Nauman had dabbled in a bit of everything. Included pieces like Text for a Room (1973-2025), a performance instructions left for viewers, or Performance Corridor (1969), a narrow hallway presented with no prescribed use at all, with their humor and were groundbreaking proposals of what art could be.
On view through April 26
Cover: Blakehaus Beverly Hills, at Richard Neutra’s William H. Levit House
Photo: Courtesy of Peter Blake
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