In the 1970s, Woody Allen opined that Los Angeles's only cultural advantage is that you can make a right turn on a red light. No one, not even Woody Allen, could try and make that joke today.

With its influx of young artists and new institutions, L.A. has seduced the public with its power-grab as the new capitol of the art world. What was once considered a homespun imitation of New York or Paris, Big Art in L.A. has finally come into its own as America's second-largest city among artists, donors, and collectors. 

In a city that teems with reinvention, is it any wonder that L.A. would eventually become a force in the global art scene? Yet, it seems only recently that our city has gotten a collective nod from the insular, erudite Art World. But we've known it all along—the city has always had more to work with than artifice, and we're determined to explore that idea on all levels. 

WHETHER YOU WANT TO FLEX YOUR CULTURAL MUSCLES AND SUPPORT THE ARTS, OR JUST WANT A NEW PHOTO TO ADD TO THE 'GRAM, SEEKING OUT GALLERIES, MUSEUMS, AND PUBLIC WORKS SHOULDN'T BE AS HARD AS IT SEEMS. 

Here’s BTI's truncated—and ever-evolving—breakdown of the best art in L.A. today.