The Pop Art Photo Show is a very unique art experience and exhibit totally devoted to popular culture — be it movies, music, celebrity, fashion, classic cars and more.  This four-day celebration showcases rare, iconic and vintage images from Marilyn Monroe to James Dean, The Beatles to Jay-Z, concept cars to street art and everything in between.  Two not-to-be-missed show exhibits:  collections of vintages posters from the Stars War and James Bond movies.

Not only will you be able to see some amazing artworks, there are a number of interactive experiences (via their mobile app) plus one on one conversations with the artists. One of the featured artists is Mike Shinoda, lead vocalist for Linkin Park, the multi-platinum Grammy-Award winning rock band. Shinoda will debut his original works of art created while recording his recent solo release, Post Traumatic.  Other featured artists include Illustrator Jim Evans aka Taz known for his album covers, poster and rock ephemera; Steve Stickler and his infamous Rock and Roll photos; and photographer Neil Zlozower (Zloz) knowns his Motley Crue and Van Halen works.   For cars and racing fans there is an Art of Detroit exhibit cover the 1940’s to 1970’s.

This show at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica is a visual candy store and is just plain fun to browse.  If you do find something to buy, a portion of the proceeds benefits the TJ Martell Foundation.

For more details and line up, click here.

Get ready for one of the greatest FREE events of the summer season: Opera at the Beach.  This live simulcast of the LA Opera’s performance of Verdi’s masterpiece, Don Carlo starring Plácido Domingo and Mexican tenor Ramón Vergas, will be shown in high-definition on a giant screen set up on the Santa Monica Pier.  Bring a picnic and get ready for an unforgettable evening.

The opera: Filled with rich orchestrations, thundering choruses and rapturous melodies, Don Carlo is a vivid story of morality and courage.  After losing his fiancée to his father, the king of Spain, Don Carlo (Vegas) turns against the Spanish Inquisition and, with Rodrigo (Domingo), his heroic best friend, vows to fight for liberty for all.  Variety raves, “LA Opera has created an extraordinary realization of the drama and music in Verdi’s huge, rawboned and rarely performed operatic masterpiece.”

Don Carlo is at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for six performances only. Check their website for dates.

What you need to know:  Arrive early as seating is General Admission; bring you own seating (low chairs, blankets, cushions); wear warm clothes (it gets chilly); Outside food and non-alcoholic beverages are permitted (food and drinks can be purchased on site…and there is a Wine Terrace); and no pets.    Take the Metro Expo line if you can; come by bicycle (there’s a Bike Valet; and on site Pier Parking.  However you get there, I guarantee you a very special unique night in Los Angeles.

For all things happening at LA Opera, click here

Making its West Coast debut, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County celebrates award-winning photographs that illustrate the beauty and drama of the natural world. The annual competition, now in its 53rdedition, owned by the Natural History Museum in London, calls on photographers young, old, pro and amateur worldwide to submit work that raises awareness of the fragility and beauty of the wildlife that cohabitate our planet.

A swarm of butterflies covering trees in Mexico, the mysterious hidden underwater world, lobster larva holding onto the shell of a glowing jellyfish in Tahiti, ninety nine stunningly beautiful, visually intriguing images ranging from tiny insects to massive mammals, Wildlife Photographer of the Year takes visitors on phenomenal journey that reveals the abundance, beauty, resilience and vulnerability of nature.

The NHMLA will also host its own first-ever L.A. Student Nature Photo Contest.  Los Angeles County K-12 students are encouraged to show off their nature photography skills by observing and capturing the natural world both in L.A. and all over the world!  The entry period will end on September 30 2018. The winning submissions will be displayed on a winner’s wall adjacent to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition space. There will be prizes and all entrants will receive a free admission ticket to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit.

For all the details, click here.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is showcasing one of the most pioneering artists of the last century, Robert Rauschenberg : In and About L.A. will run through February 10, 2019. Although Rauschenberg was born in Texas and lived primarily in New York and Florida, Los Angeles played a pivotal role in his artistic development.  His first visit to an art museum occurred in Southern California while he was stationed at Camp Pendleton in 1944 – 45.  This experience was life changing for Rauschenberg prompting him to decide to become an artist. In the following decades he created some of his most groundbreaking work in Los Angeles. Featuring a selection of works that Rauschenberg made in and about L.A., the exhibition  highlights  the city’s indelible impact on his creative output.

A painter, sculptor, and graphic artist Rauschenberg’s early works anticipated the pop art movement. He is well known for his “Combines” of the 1950s where he used non-traditional materials and objects to employ innovative combinations.

In the late 1960s and early 70s Rauschenberg partnered with the L.A. Print workshops Gemmini G.E.L. and Styria Studio where he challenged the conventions of printmaking.  During this time    he was also a central participant in LACMA’s Art & Technology program. In 1981, Rauschenberg photographed L.A. extensively for his In + Out CityLimits project and 17 years later, he pictured the metropolis again in his L.A. Uncovered screenprints.

For more details, click here.