Visiting the Forest Lawn Museum

A couple of months ago, as you may recall, Shannon and I headed to Bauer Pottery for one of its weekend sales. As we approached the location I discovered it was located on the backside of Forest Lawn. And not just any Forest Lawn but the granddaddy of them all in Glendale. I must admit I was a bit excited because I’d been wanting to visit this location for some time.

Now, before you think I’m particularly morbid I wasn’t interested in its residents. Instead, I was curious to visit the Forest Lawn Museum. Luckily, Shannon’s a game sort and agreed to stop by.

The museum is located on a hill of the cemetery and offers a commanding view of the valley below. It’s free to the public and despite its location has nothing to do with death. Instead it offers rotating exhibits on subjects as varied as tiki culture and rock posters as well as a permanent art collection.

Unfortunately, no photography is allowed in the gallery so I was unable to take any pictures to share. I suppose I’ll have to simply describe what’s on display.

At the time of our visit the rotating exhibit was Leading Ladies – From Fantasy to Reality which showcased portraits of famous females both real and fictional. Aside from a few portraits of classic leading ladies it wasn’t really my cup of tea. Instead, I much preferred the permanent collection. There were beautiful paintings like the one above and several sculptures including bronzes by Remington and an Easter Island moai. The collection was eclectic to say the least and I really enjoyed it.

Forest Lawn may not be the most obvious place to visit a museum but it is worth seeing. I’m glad I finally stopped by.