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Best Art Galleries East Of Downtown Los Angeles

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Just across the Los Angeles River from the DTLA Arts District, a new and vital community of art galleries are springing up. Many are housed in cavernous warehouse space, some are upstarts, some are branches of international or New York-based galleries, all consistently offer riveting additions to the burgeoning Los Angeles art scene. Here are some top picks for art lovers venturing across the bridge.

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MARS - Museum As Retail Space
649 S Anderson St.
Los Angeles, CA 90023
(323) 526-8097
www.marsgallery.net

This 6,000-square-foot commercial contemporary art gallery has five distinct spaces inside, and a front gallery room that can become a window display visible from the street, perfect for the performance art that often takes place there. The space itself is as cool as the cutting edge art on display. The gallery door itself is a work of art, a thousand-pound single-pane of glass that's balanced on a central pivoting axis that requires guests to enter by pressing against it. Shop, a curated bookshop, offers an eclectic selection of art-related books and periodicals as well.

Nicodem Galley
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Nicodim Gallery
571 S Anderson St #2
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 262-0260
www.nicodimgallery.com

With a second location in Bucharest, Romania, Nicodim offers well-curated international flare east of downtown. Contemporary art is thoughtfully laid out, featuring rising-star artists as well as more established creators of paintings, mixed media, and sculpture.

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Maccarone
300 S Mission Rd.
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 406-2587
www.maccarone.net

With locations in New York City's West Village, and the other east of the LA River in Los Angeles, Maccarone offers a great space for art. The L.A. location easily doubles that of the renowned NYC outpost, and shows a number of long-running exhibitions, such as opening shows by sculptors and pop artists. Extended shows allow art lovers plenty of time to catch the shows, and solo exhibitions by well known contemporary artists can be seen here too.

Corey Helford gallery
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Corey Helford Gallery
571 S Anderson St
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(310) 287-2340
www.coreyhelfordgallery.com

Corey Helford Gallery opened in Culver City back in 2006 as a collaboration of Jan Corey Helford and husband and television producer Bruce Helford. What began as a labor of love has evolved into a premier purveyor of contemporary art, and a lively scene where international, emerging, and established artists often present large scale, themed exhibits. With three different gallery spaces and a reputation for lively, music-filled openings, CHG is the spot to check out for a wide range of artistic genres.

Venus LA
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Venus Over Manhattan
601 S Anderson St
Los Angeles, CA 90023
(323) 980-9000
www.venusovermanhattan.com

Another gallery with an older sibling located in New York City is Venus Over Manhattan in Boyle Heights. Containing some 14,500-square-feet of exhibition space in the downtown arts district, it offers exhibitions by a roster of established and emerging talent, including pop art, street art, and more.

Genie Davis is a multi-published journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. She lives near the beach in Los Angeles. See more on: CBSLA | eco-exist.com | geniedavis.com | DiversionsLA | Twitter.
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