LACMA is running a 50-week series called '50 Works 50 Weeks' leading up to the 2026 opening of its new David Geffen Galleries. The fourth installment highlights Millard Sheets's 1931 painting *Angel's Flight*, which depicts a historic Los Angeles funicular and tenement life. The work was inspired by George Bellows's *Cliff Dwellers* (1913), one of the first acquisitions by LACMA's predecessor, and was painted for the 1931 Carnegie International Exhibition. Sheets's painting won a prize at the Los Angeles Museum in 1932 and is now displayed alongside Bellows's work in the new galleries.
This article matters because it offers a glimpse into LACMA's permanent collection as the institution prepares for a major architectural milestone—the David Geffen Galleries opening in 2026. By pairing Sheets's *Angel's Flight* with Bellows's *Cliff Dwellers*, the museum draws a cross-country dialogue between Ashcan School realism and early 20th-century Southern California art, highlighting how local artists responded to national urban themes. The series also builds public anticipation for the new building and underscores LACMA's role in preserving Los Angeles cultural history.