![]() ![]() Is the sculpture made of tinfoil, a nod to its subject matter? I wondered. Here, a man appears frozen midstride, as he balances a tower of takeout containers on his head. Enter the park at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Santa Monica, where you’ll find Takeaway by contemporary American sculptor Tom Friedman. Next, I walked less than five minutes to Beverly Gardens Park, a 22-block-long manicured green space with fountains, plaques, and plenty of large sculptures. A colorful resin sculpture of larger-than-life children’s blocks spells out “Beverly Hills Is Life” (the title of the piece) on one side, and “Smile” on another. Up close, their diminutive stature and concerned looks as they hold onto each other for support appear more like a commentary on aging in the modern world. At first the bronze statue suggests a symbol of love in old age. I was intrigued by Victor Salmones’s statue of an elderly couple, Gordon and Lil y, who are perpetually trying to cross the road. Once I left Rodeo Drive, I ventured over to the corner of South Santa Monica Boulevard and North Camden Drive. Ironically, this incredibly understated piece now sits by the Gucci Building on maximalist Rodeo Drive. Pioneering minimalist sculptor Tony Smith intended its angles to be nonthreatening and emotional. This black hexahedron (a six-sided figure) looks like a slightly off-kilter cube. Brainwash.) Down the street, New Piece is a lot easier to miss. ![]() Sure enough, only a few feet away is a red paparazzi statue. Brainwash (a protégé of Banksy) created Life Is Beautiful, a perfectly placed, oversized cursive-lettered statue that seemed to beg people to take a photo. Then I moved on to world-famous Rodeo Drive, where Mr. Some liken this pink Franz West work to a charismatic worm, though I saw something closer to an otherworldly praying mantis. ![]() ![]() For a fun way to get to know the city, I took myself on a self-guided public art tour using the city’s free Explore Beverly Hills app.īeverly Hills Art Walk (budget at least two hours) Start at Wilshire BoulevardĪt Wilshire Boulevard and North Beverly Drive, the larger-than-life Unconscious sculpture looms over the corner. Since 2015, more than 70 pieces of art have been installed across 5.7 square miles. Among the designer shops, glamorous hotels, and recognizable restaurants is Beverly Hills’ public art-something I never would have noticed while behind the wheel.īeverly Hills doubles as an outdoor museum thanks to its Public Art Ordinance, which requires developers to either buy a piece of art for their property or donate to the city’s Arts and Culture Commission, a group established in the early 1980s to promote cultural and artistic programming and encourage permanent art installations. Here, you could wander around perfectly manicured streets full of elegant homes that seem practically suburban. But leave the freeway and turn onto Santa Monica Boulevard to discover the palm tree–lined streets of Beverly Hills, plus something even more exotic: pedestrians.īeverly Hills has the distinction of being one of the most walkable neighborhoods in a city not known for its downtown foot traffic. pumping.Ĭar culture is king in this Southern California city. Los Angeles County has about 515 miles of freeways and expressways-including the infamous 405 (14 lanes wide in parts), which is one of the busiest roads in the United States and an essential artery keeping L.A. From the air, Los Angeles looks like a web of roads with little toy cars crawling, zooming, crisscrossing. ![]()
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