Singing Cowboy’s museum expands, adds Native American art
LOS ANGELES — The American West, Gene Autry knew, was much more than the ridin’, ropin’ and singin’ he enthralled audiences with in scores of movies and songs, earning the title “The Singing Cowboy.” It was a point he strived to drive home when he opened a museum in Los Angeles in 1988.
Autry’s vision takes a great leap forward Sunday when the Autry Museum of the American West expands to include a garden of native Western flora, as well as new galleries showcasing hundreds of Native American works, some from present day, others centuries old, many never seen publicly.
The expansion, named California Continued, adds 20,000 square feet of gallery and garden space to the museum that, with its red-tiled courtyard and distinctive beige bell tower, evokes images of an 18th century, Spanish-styled California mission — albeit one sandwiched between a zoo and a busy freeway.
Along with many sculptures depicting the Old West and works by prominent artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Frederic Remington, museum officials say visitors will now see one of the largest collections of Native American artifacts found anywhere.