This post was updated Feb. 10 at 12:34 a.m.

With much-needed rainstorms coming to Los Angeles, there is no better place to take shelter from the precipitation than in an art gallery.

And in a global city like LA, there is dazzling art to entertain and inspire anyone. From historical inspirations and unconventional materials to regal paintings, museums across the city are showcasing vibrant art in seasonal collections for the next few months.

Keep reading to learn more about some of the most exciting art exhibits illuminating LA this winter.

“Joseph Beuys: In Defense of Nature” (The Broad)

Joseph Beuys advocated for the protection of nature through art.

Viewers at The Broad will be astounded and perhaps even appalled by the art included in the exhibit “Joseph Beuys: In Defense of Nature,” which includes more than 400 pieces and is on show through March 23. Curated by Sarah Loyer and Andrea Gyorody, the collection provides an overview of Beuys’ art and environmental advocacy from the 1970s and 1980s through various items such as paintings, clothing and tins. Beuys was a German artist whose work and public debates encouraged conversations about political, environmental and social issues both while he was alive and in the decades since his death in 1986.

One of the items displayed in his exhibit is a bottle filled with yellow polluted water from the Rhine River. The feelings of disgust one may experience when viewing the strange color in a drinking bottle may lead to self-reflection about how humans interact with and rely on nature. The exhibit provides a firm reminder of how interconnected humanity is with nature, which can be well-appreciated during the recent period of climate disasters.

With a wide variety of art pieces, Beuys sought to defend nature before it was too late.

– Amy Wong

[Related: Second Take: Powerful messaging of Westwood’s anonymous ‘I’m gay’ tags classifies them as art]

“Out of the Ordinary: Uncommon Materials, Marks, and Matrices” (Hammer Museum)

The Hammer Museum is taking an “Out of the Ordinary” approach this winter.

Curated by Jennie Waldow, “Out of the Ordinary: Uncommon Materials, Marks, and Matrices” is being shown at the Hammer Museum until April 6. From Kool-Aid to dryer lint, the exhibit examines contemporary artists’ use of unconventional mark-making devices. The connection between the pieces on display is their unorthodox nature, with each piece serving to excavate the symbolic value of everyday materials.

The exhibit puts the spotlight on several historical topics, such as through Rubén Ortiz-Torres’ “4th of July BBQ Flag.” The piece is a lithograph and relief print, with the “barbecued” ashes of the American flag reassembled onto a cotton paper. Ortiz-Torres’ piece is just one example of the unconventional approaches the featured artists take, evoking emotions that may not be present in an ordinary gallery. While other exhibits may be connected through a time period, art style or singular artist, the commonality in this exhibit is the risk-taking nature of the tools and devices used. Viewers can expect to be taken on a distinctive journey with each piece, rethinking the materials and goods around them.

Prepare to expect the unexpected from the Hammer Museum.

– Lucine Ekizian

“María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Behold” (Getty Center)

Personal and ancestral histories blend together this winter at the Getty Center.

After over a year of exhibitions across the East and South Coasts, the multidiscipline work of María Magdalena Campos-Pons – a painter, sculptor, photographer and so much more – arrives at the Getty Center on Feb. 18. Cuban-born Campos-Pons explores and honors her Nigerian, Chinese and Hispanic heritage through pieces reflecting histories of migration, horrors of enslavement and traditions of feminism and spirituality. With a body of work capturing autobiographical truths at its core, the collection explores the history of plantations – including during her own childhood on a sugar plantation in Cuba – while emphasizing motherhood, resilience and cultural memory.

The exhibition represents 35 years of work from the lifelong artist, who first established herself as an artist in Cuba in the 1980s. Her presence on the global stage has only grown since, culminating in a “genius grant” MacArthur Fellowship in 2023. Now a professor of art at Vanderbilt University, her work has been featured in the Smithsonian, the Guggenheim and festivals across the world, bringing her artwork from Cuba and beyond to countless audiences.

Exploring decades of Campos-Pons’ impactful, articulate work will be something to behold.

– Martin Sevcik

[Related: ‘Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective’ examines female body, power with fragmenting]

“Wael Shawky, Drama 1882” (MOCA)

Wael Shawky is bringing his rendition of Egyptian history to the U.S.

The artist – who hails from Alexandria, Egypt – graces The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA to present a film installation revolving around the narrative of his work “Drama 1882,” building his exhibition around moving images. Running from Feb. 20 to March 16, the installation aims to dig deeper into the truth of the past and challenge the integrity of written history.

“Drama 1882” premiered last year and carefully navigates the Urabi revolution in Egypt against the British Empire through an eight-part opera. The revolution was led by Ahmed Urabi, an Egyptian military officer who fought for a liberated Egypt, but Shawky’s “Drama 1882” focuses on a squabble between a Maltese man and a local donkey owner that ends in a riot, precipitating rising tempers and animosity in the masses. The film is filled with extravagant costumes, vividly colored backdrops and cinematic Arabic operas as Shawky blends history and fiction to question how sovereignty has influenced the account of the past.

Through his layered work, Shawky provokes crucial inquiries into the truth of the past and the power structures that control factual knowledge.

– Puja Anand