In recent months, nine carriers have begun or have announced new international service to Los Angeles, and several more announcements are on the horizon. LA INC. projects 15 new or increased international routes between December 2007 and summer 2009; servicing both Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT). Among the new airlines that have chosen Los Angeles as their West Coast gateway, EVA Air has established three direct service routes to Osaka, and Air France is now offering seven round-trips per week to London. In June, Alitalia will offer five round-trips per week to Rome and Korean Air will launch new, nonstop service from Los Angeles to São Paulo, Brazil. On Sept. 1, 2008, Emirates Airline will begin daily nonstop service between LAX and Dubai. And in December, V Australia will launch non-stop service between Australia and Los Angeles; under a newly signed open-skies agreement. The dramatic increase in frequencies at LAX and ONT is due in large part to the rise in passenger demand. There was a six percent increase in overseas arrivals at both airports in 2007, and in 2008, the volume is anticipated to grow by another four to six percent.
www.lawa.org

Thanks to the acquiring minds of Los Angeles-based tycoons such as Eli Broad, J. Paul Getty, Armand Hammer, Henry Huntington and Norton Simon, many of history’s great masterpieces are located right here in LA.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) houses 150,000 artworks spanning five continents from the prehistoric to the present day. LACMA boasts one of the most comprehensive Korean art collections and a stunning Japanese art pavilion filled with screens, scrolls and a remarkable collection of netsuke. Among LACMA’s many famous paintings are Rivera’s Flower Day and Magritte’s Treachery of Images.

The Hammer Museum in Westwood is best known for its cutting-edge exhibitions of provocative works by leading and emerging living artists. Equally impressive, however, is its small but world-class permanent collection, containing works by Rembrandt, Gauguin, Monet, van Gogh and Wyeth, among others.

No tour of the world’s greatest paintings in LA’s permanent collections would be complete without a visit to the Getty Center. In addition to stunning architecture and gardens, the Getty Center is distinguished by a far-reaching collection of exceptional paintings by European and American masters from the 14th to the 20th century. Although the collection contains many famous works by the Old Masters, the most popular painting at the Getty is van Gogh’s Irises.

The Huntington Library, Art Galleries, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino is a required destination for anyone who admires artists’ ability to bring canvas, pigment and oil to life. Perhaps the most famous paintings in the collection are the masterpieces The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough and Pinkie by Sir Thomas Lawrence.

In addition to the famous masterpieces contained in LA’s permanent collections, many important works are on view in the ever-changing major exhibitions curated and presented by LA’s leading museums.