Beverly Hills: a roadside museum

By Joyce Rey

If you drive, bike, run, or walk through Beverly Hills, perhaps you’ve experienced the wonder of moving through a 5.7-square-mile outdoor art gallery. What a city! With 60 to 80 pieces of City-owned public art on display (depending on whom you ask), Beverly Hills is a leader in showcasing diverse works by established artists of international reputation.

The City’s Public Art Ordinance established the model: “all construction, reconstruction, or expansion projects of commercial, industrial, or mixed use buildings are subject to a mandatory public art requirement. Projects may satisfy the requirement by providing a work of art on-site that is easily accessible during normal business hours and clearly visible to the general public.”

Works of art are selected, brought to the Arts and Culture Commission (formerly the Fine Art Commission) for approval and purchase. The resulting collection includes large-scale sculpture and murals in a variety of styles and materials, sited throughout the city at intersections, on medians, in front of buildings, and, most notably, in Beverly Gardens Park.

The Interactive Map of Public Art and Galleries in Beverly Hills is a good place to begin. It maps each of 59 artworks with a thumbnail photo, materials, location, and a brief introduction to the artist and piece. Each of the Fine Art Walking Tours created by the Arts and Culture Commission includes some public art, and the RunGo app takes runners or walkers past a number of public art pieces.

As with any art collection, I find there are some pieces I simply adore. But what I especially love is the surprise of noticing, as if for the first time, a piece of sculpture that’s highlighted by the slant of sun in the afternoon, or that has stopped a pair of passersby who stand and gaze, walk around, and take selfies with the art. It’s part of what makes Beverly Hills exciting, entertaining, and vital.

Another part is the bold, temporary installation of artworks, such as the enormous faceted resin animal sculptures by young French artist Richard Orlinski, on view through November 20, 2024, along Rodeo Drive and at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Welcomed with fanfare as part of Rodeo Drive Celebrates Fashion, the colorful creatures embody the artist’s commitment to “freedom, power and passion.” These charismatic megafauna hold lively poses in majestic, saturated colors. The creatures include panther, panda, horse, crocodile, gorilla, bears, lion, and wolf… and they are fabulous!

As long as we’re talking art, be sure to mark your calendar for this fall’s presentation of the Beverly Hills Art Show, coming the weekend of October 19 and 20, 2024.

(Photos courtesy of the Interactive Map of Public Art and Galleries in Beverly Hills

and www.rodeodrive-bh.com except as noted.)